Downgrade
by notthisoneagain
Summary: A girl like Raven would never be into a guy like Beast Boy... right? BBRae
1. Date

**I do not own the Teen Titans.**

* * *

It wasn't even that funny - the joke that had started this whole mess. In fact, he couldn't even remember it. Something about an egg and a hammer... or was it a mallet?

It came out of nowhere, too. No context at all. They were in the midst of battle, and Mumbo was doing some weird hat-trick that apparently involved Starfire, and since his usual, appreciative audience was preoccupied with blasting the magician with a flurry of starbolts, Beast Boy had turned to the teammate closest to him. Well, _closest_ in the sense of proximity.

And that teammate just so happened to be his toughest critic: _Raven_.

She had been busying herself with righting some over-turned cars, and (for some strange reason) had turned to him when he called her name. And as her pretty purple eyes met his, Beast Boy couldn't help but grin his toothy grin. And then he said the stupid joke (and honestly, it _was_ stupid), and he expected nothing more than an exaggerated eye-roll. Or an irritated glare. Maybe even an exasperated sigh. She was prone to exasperation when in his presence, after all.

Instead, she threw his whole universe off-balance. She _smiled_. But not just _any_ smile - it was _the_ smile. The one he attempted to catch a glimpse of, every single day. The one that made his heart skip. The one that had plagued his daydreams since he was fourteen years old. _That_ smile. _Raven's_ smile.

Unfortunately, he was unable to fully appreciate it, for Mumbo had decided that the changeling would make an excellent assistant, and Beast Boy suddenly found himself trapped within a top hat.

But that wasn't what was bothering him after the fact.

It wasn't even a _full_ smile. Sure, it was more than her usual smirk, but it wasn't a grin. Nor a beam. Hell, the corners of her mouth had _hardly_ turned upwards, and there wasn't even a hint of her pearly, perfectly straight teeth. It wouldn't have even been _considered_ a smile on anybody else.

But it wasn't just _anybody_. It was _Raven_. Stone-cold, unfeeling, no-care-in-the-world _Raven_. The half-demon. The sorceress. The leotard-clad heroine. The reason Beast Boy had gone through an abundance of tissue in the following months after his voice had dropped (ah, puberty - what a fascinating mixture of embarrassment and hormones). His teammate. His friend. The girl who couldn't stand his jokes.

The girl he could never stop thinking about.

She had given him a half-smile, and he had nearly gotten killed.

(Okay, he was exaggerating a little.)

Letting out a groan, Beast Boy re-positioned the ice pack on his head as his robotic teammate continued to check his vitals. The bleeding had thankfully stopped, and nothing appeared to be broken, so that was cool. Falling head-first out of the villain's hat and landing on asphalt? Not _as_ cool.

"Alright BB, follow the light with your eyes," Cyborg instructed, his finger turning into a small flashlight.

Squinting at the sudden light assaulting his green irises, the changeling attempted to do as told, his pupils constricting.

"Can you maybe turn down the brightness, Cy?" he grumbled, his ungloved hand going numb from the ice. Wait - when had he taken his gloves off? And where had he put them? _Crap_.

The robotic titan merely chuckled as the flashlight turned back into his finger. "Just making sure you don't have a concussion."

Beast Boy blinked rapidly, his eyes watering ever so slightly as he tried to rid his vision of the large white dot that now obscured his best friend's face. "I think I'm good, dude. It was just a bump on the head."

"A nasty bump," Cyborg interjected, his voice teasing, yet laced with genuine worry.

Beast Boy waved his free hand dismissively as his eyes roamed the room, in search of his gloves. "Oh, come on - I've had worse," he mused absently. He had to have taken them off in here - or were they in the T-car? "Remember when Rae tossed me through the window?" he continued, feeling a fond smile tug at his lips.

It had happened a few months ago. She had been 'meditating', and Beast Boy had apparently 'interrupted' her, and then suddenly everything went black. He had woken up in the Med-Bay a few hours later with seven stitches on the back of his head and an excruciatingly painful headache.

Raven had been beside herself with guilt - or so he liked to think. In all actuality, she was rather calm, though she _did_ seem a tad bit remorseful and quietly explained that it hadn't been on purpose. He had merely surprised her, and her powers had acted accordingly (which, apparently meant throwing him through three-inch thick glass). But, she couldn't help it. It was her ' _powers_ ' - her stupid, freaking powers. Sometimes, he really hated her powers. Sure, they were super cool and made her a total bad-ass, but they also made it nearly impossible for her to _feel_. And there were a lot of things he wanted her to feel; happiness, being the most important emotion, followed closely by lust, and preferably towards _him_ , because hey - he was a teenaged guy, she was super freaking hot, they were both stuck living in such close quarters, and _damn_ , he just wanted to -

"You mean like she always does?" Cyborg teased, his booming voice bringing Beast Boy back to the present.

He could feel the heat of a blush work its way across his face as he forced out a chuckle. "Heh - yeah... That's Raven for you..."

If Cyborg noticed his flustered appearance, he neglected to comment on it. And for that, Beast Boy was grateful. See, the half-robot may have been the changeling's best friend, but he was also the self-proclaimed 'big-bro' to both of the female titans. And, as their 'older brother', Cyborg became very protective of the girls. So, Beast Boy figured that his best bud wouldn't be too thrilled with the way he sometimes thought about his 'baby sis' Raven.

But it wasn't like he was _crushing_ on her or anything. He just liked thinking about her. And looking at her. And talking to her. And _sometimes_ he would fantasize about her and have to take a cold shower to rid himself of his, er - _urges_ before she sensed them with her kinda cool (yet totally invasive) empathetic abilities. But, come on - who _didn't_ occasionally daydream about their incredibly attractive friend being in less clothing than usual? It was totally normal.

And _not_ a crush.

Though, his stomach _did_ flutter a bit when she had smiled at him earlier. You know, before the whole 'head-injury' thing had happened.

Releasing another groan, Beast Boy flopped backwards onto the Med-Bay's bed. Maybe he _was_ concussed.

* * *

"You aren't supposed to be sleeping."

Opening his eyes, Beast Boy fought back a smile at the raspy sound of her voice. It was slightly jarring, yet oddly melodic. In other words, it suited her perfectly, and was nothing like the squeaky, irritating sound that came from his mouth. Though, his voice had deepened quite a bit - thanks to that whole 'puberty' thing.

Sitting up slowly, Beast Boy's gaze immediately zeroed in on his lovely teammate as she stepped into the room. She was dressed in civvies - a sight that was fairly uncommon (though not unwelcomed - not in the slightest). Aside from Starfire, who considered herself to be the resident fashionista, most of the team stayed in uniform until it was time for bed. And even then, their pajamas were mostly made up of athletic wear in case of an alert.

But here Raven was, casually sipping on her tea while wearing an over-sized, dark grey sweatshirt and black spandex shorts. She had let her violet hair grow out over the years, and though she never let it get too far past her shoulders, it was now long enough to be pulled back into a messy bun. A few shorter pieces framed her heart-shaped face perfectly, and Beast Boy had to _again_ remind himself that everyone occasionally found their friends to be absolutely stunning.

"Hey, Rae," he grinned.

"Hey yourself," she replied flatly, her mouth hidden by her mug. She had long since given up on getting him to call her by her actual name. Beast Boy had a sneaking suspicion that the nickname had grown on her.

But, aside from her hair and the nickname, nothing _else_ had really done any growing. Raven was maybe half an inch taller than when he had first met her, and thanks to his sudden growth-spurt at sixteen, she was now the shortest member of the titans. A fact that he liked to remind her of every chance he got. She was also, _ahem_ , more womanly now a days, though Beast Boy hardly noticed, since she was his dear friend and totally not the hottest girl he had ever laid his eyes on.

He could feel another blush creep its way up his neck as his eyes traveled down her form. The sweatshirt wasn't really doing anything for her figure, though he somehow found the ensemble to be incredibly endearing. A lazy Raven was a rare sight to behold, merely cementing the fact that she was effortlessly beautiful (and he only noticed that in, like, a friend-way, you know?). But as his gaze slipped down her legs and towards the floor, he felt his eyes widen in surprise.

She wasn't wearing any shoes.

Beast Boy gulped nervously as he memorized her small, delicate feet. He didn't have a foot fetish or anything, but he had never seen her bare feet before - which he found kinda weird. They had been living together for nearly five years; was this really his first time seeing them? And had they always been so tiny? They were slender, and as pale as the rest of her with her toenails painted black. He didn't even know she owned any nail polish.

But as he continued to stare, his mind began to wander. There was _a lot_ of Raven he had yet to see. What other surprises was she hiding? Piercings? Tattoos?

His gaze lifting back up, he let his attention linger on her slender, muscular legs. Besides her face, her long, pale limbs were a part of her that he was the most familiar with. In fact, the curve of her hips, the thickness of her thighs, and the definition of her calves were permanently burned into his memory. He couldn't help it, though; her attire always had her legs on display. She was always traipsing around the tower, knowingly showing them off and unknowingly driving him wild. Not that he could blame her for it - she had killer legs.

Nearly a minute of silence stretched between them, before the realization that he was openly checking Raven out jerked him from his thoughts. His attention snapping back to her face, he quietly sighed in relief as he noted the way her eyes stared blankly out the window.

Maybe she hadn't noticed his ogling. Although, he ogled for quite some time. Hell, he was almost _always_ ogling her. How hadn't she picked up on it yet? Did she realize, but not care? Or did she like it? Maybe she liked the attention. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking?

 _Thinking_. Beast Boy had been doing that a lot, lately. Though, his mind was often in the gutter. Was Raven wearing anything else under that sweatshirt?

Feeling his focus drift away again, Beast Boy mentally chastised himself. _Stop being pervy. Creep._

 _Huh._ Creepy... like _Raven..._

When had she even _gotten_ that sweatshirt? A shopping trip with Starfire? Raiding Robin's closet? It was definitely too big for her; swallowing her petite frame completely. She looked so small and delicate. And really freaking _cute_.

Weird. Was he allowed to think that she was _cute?_ 'Cuz she totally was - _especially_ in that sweatshirt. Why was she wearing it, though?

"Laundry day?" he mused aloud, breaking the silence and gesturing to her outfit.

Her gaze remained fixed on the ocean outside. "Just didn't feel like squeezing into a fresh leotard," she deadpanned, entirely unaware of the uninvited visual that now plagued the changeling's mind.

Locking away that image to... _ponder_ over later, Beast Boy nodded. "I get that - my uniform's been feeling a little tight lately," he began, casually flexing his biceps as he hooked his fingers behind his head. "Probably from all that extra training I've been getting in." He grimaced slightly as his hands pressed against the bump on his head, though he did his best to conceal it.

Raven spared him a sideways glance, her brow arching as she regarded him skeptically. Her mug was still obscuring her lips, but Beast Boy was fairly certain she was smirking.

"Probably," she agreed in her monotone, not allowing a single drop of amusement to leach into her voice.

But Beast Boy was used to it - besides, he had already gotten her to smile once today. His quota was filled. Dropping his arms back to his sides, he gave the empath a lazy grin. Their relationship had improved tremendously in the past year or so. Sure, he still got on her nerves, and yeah, she definitely had her bitchy moments, but things were easier now. Especially since _she_ was often the one starting conversations.

"Robin's scheduling a few extra training exercises for me," she said simply, her eyes lingering on him for a moment, before she directed her gaze back to the window. "He doesn't want me relying on just my powers." She took another sip of her tea, before Beast Boy forced himself to look away as she absently licked her lips. "Says I need to work on my strength."

Nodding idly, Beast Boy filed away that image as well. "Huh," he offered dumbly.

"Maybe we can work out together."

Her suggestion caught him off guard, and it took several moments for her words to sink in fully.

"Um, t-totally," he agreed, cursing himself for stuttering.

"Only if you want to, of course," she continued, ignoring the anxiety he was undoubtedly sending her way (again, kinda _invasive_ ). Did she _have_ to be an empath? Couldn't he have found somebody to obsess over who _couldn't_ read his emotions? Somebody who didn't short-circuit his brain with so much as a smile?

Shaking away those thoughts, Beast Boy inhaled slowly, counted to three, and then exhaled. It was a trick Mento had taught him years ago; breathe and relax - a calm mind is harder to read. And even though that seemed totally backwards to him, Beast Boy had heeded the man's advice.

"Nah, that'd be fun," he replied, sending her a genuine smile.

He watched as she spared him a bored glance, before giving him a slow nod. "Then it's a date," she drawled casually.

Again, her words took him by surprise, and Beast Boy felt himself freeze beneath her gaze. She was regarding him blankly, her violet eyes peering into his with a quiet intensity.

He wondered if he was meant to respond; if she was waiting for his confirmation. He knew it was just a saying - it obviously didn't mean anything. Why would _Raven_ ask _Beast Boy_ on a date? A date that consisted of _working out_ , no less.

No, this was _Raven_. His stoic, intelligent, inhumanly beautiful teammate. She was _leagues_ above him. There was _no way_ she had been serious. It was _just_ a saying.

"Heh, _sure_ ," he laughed, feeling his face heat up once again as he sheepishly rubbed the bump on his head. The pain had lessened considerably, thanks in part to totally numbing it with ice (shit - he really needed to find his gloves), but also because the half-demon in front of him had healed the injury somewhat on their way home. She was _always_ healing him, it seemed. And sure, he was definitely the most accident-prone hero on the team, but a part of him felt kinda special that she was always there to help him feel better.

But now she was the one _inflicting_ pain as his stomach churned violently. His nerves were getting the best of him, and he had to again remind himself to calm down. Hiding his emotions from the empath was hard enough without the added stress of _butterflies_. Was that a common symptom of concussions? All that fluttery, girly shit? He couldn't even remember the last time he had felt so pathetic. Well, okay - that was a lie. But it hadn't been recently. Though, it _had_ involved Raven. And one of her smiles. It _always_ had something to do with her smile. Why was she so pretty? And confusing? She was so freaking pretty and confusing and -

Beast Boy shook his head, mentally cursing himself for letting his mind wander yet again. Sparing his teammate a glance, he felt himself freeze up once more as his eyes met with hers.

Raven continued to stare at him, her stoic facade unwavering as another embarrassed chuckle escaped the chaneling's lips and broke the silence between them. How long had he been spacing out? God, this was so awkward. Why wasn't she saying anything? Why was it always up to _him_ to end the silence? Why couldn't _-_

"Don't fall asleep," she reminded him dryly, before turning from the window and heading towards the exit.

Beast Boy's mouth fell open as he watched her leave, too confused to even take advantage of ogling her backside as her words echoed in his mind. _'Then i_ _t's a date.'_ A _date!_ Raven had just asked him on a -

 _No_ , he mentally scolded. He wasn't going to kid himself. He _knew_ it meant nothing; that it was just a saying. But _fuck_ , why did she have to _say_ it? There were a million alternative phrases! ' _Sounds like a_ _plan_ ' or ' _see you then_ ' immediately came to mind, and neither of those gave him heart palpitations. Hell, even a simple ' _okay_ ' would have sufficed. But _no_ , Raven just _had_ to drop the D-word and throw his whole evening out of whack. And what was with that _smile_ from earlier? Was she _trying_ to get him killed?!

Lowering himself back onto the bed, Beast Boy stared blankly at the ceiling above him, his mind racing. Raven had smiled at him. And then asked him to hang out. And used the word _date_.

Another groan escaped his lips as he ran his hands down his face. What was with Raven and sending mixed signals? It was getting beyond frustrating at this point. Sometimes he wondered if they were even friends, and then when crazy things like this happened (or when she would randomly hug him or sit beside him or even just glance at him), he'd wonder if they were maybe something _more_. But then he'd remind himself that this was _Raven_ he was dealing with, and she was literally the definition of an _enigma_ , and that it would be stupid to take anything she said at face-value. Was it really too hard to just say what she meant? Did everything she say have to be impossible to decipher?

A _date_. She had used the word _date_. She _never_ said date, or talked about dates, or went out on dates. So what did this mean?

Squeezing his eyes shut in frustration, Beast Boy sighed. He knew he wasn't supposed to sleep for a while, but a part of him wondered if he was already dreaming.

* * *

 **So I have found that I really enjoy writing in Beast Boy's POV (or, at least, the third-person equivalent of it), and even though I still have part two of Wingman to write, I decided I wanted to start on another multi-chapter fic. This one is probably going to be shorter than The New Normal (which I still have an epilogue of that to write lol), but hopefully it'll be just as enjoyable?**

 **Please leave a review! Or follow or fave! However you chose to show your support, I appreciate it!**


	2. Door

Shuffling nervously from foot to foot, Beast Boy stared at the metal door before him. It was an ordinary door, not unlike the others in the tower. Tall, sleek, and cold to the touch. And it would open for him, no problem. All he had to do was push the little button beside it. An ordinary button. Chrome. Designed by Cyborg - and the metal man had great taste. It was the perfect chrome button to accompany a very fine chrome door. A _sliding_ door. A door that would _slide_ open with just the push of a button ( _and what a button it was!_ ).

Easy, right? Push the button; enter the room. Piece of cake.

But beyond that door? No cake in sight.

Despite Cyborg 'sound-proofing' most of the rooms in the tower, Beast Boy's sensitive ears could pick up the sounds of labored breathing from the room before him. A gasp, a grunt, an occasional curse-word; barely muffled by the metal between.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his gym shorts, Beast Boy continued to stare ahead, his eyes hardly registering his distorted reflection before him as his ears strained to hear the ongoings in the room.

Raven hadn't been lying about the extra training.

He could hear her mumble another curse beneath her breath as Robin lightly lectured her on her form. It seemed their dutiful leader had expected more from the empath, if the disappointment in his voice was anything to go by.

Raven, herself, was beginning to sound rather annoyed. And, in what had to have been one of the unhealthiest thoughts to ever pass through the changeling's mind, Beast Boy found himself kinda jealous. _Annoyed_ was an emotion strictly reserved for _him_ , thank you very much.

Pushing aside that thought, Beast Boy glanced at the button to his left. Raven had invited him to workout with her, and she surely was expecting him. It was a _date_ , after all (or so she had so eloquently put it).

But, well, there was one tiny little detail that his pretty little half-demon forgot to mention: _Robin_ would be joining them.

Further cementing the fact that this _date_ was just a poorly-chosen phrase on the empath's part, Beast Boy felt his resolve weaken. He had trekked down to the gym with every intention of enjoying his workout with Raven, and doing so without dwelling on the mad-lib noun she had so carelessly used. But knowing that _Robin_ was in there, too, and hearing the way he was barking orders?

Yeah, suddenly this _workout_ sounded more like _training_ , and _training_ didn't sound nearly as fun. Though, the thought of seeing Raven in her workout clothes was something to look forward to.

With the image of a flushed, panting, scantily-clad sorceress creeping into his mind, Beast Boy jumped as the door before him slid open.

Watching as two heads whipped in his direction, he sent his treacherous finger a stern look. How _dare_ it press buttons without his explicit permission!

"Uh, hey, Beast Boy..?"

The surprise in the Boy Wonder's voice was enough to distract the changeling from mentally scolding his finger. Steeling his resolve, Beast Boy directed his sights back towards the two titans before him, who were currently in the midst of some slow-mo, half-baked defense maneuver.

"H-hey," the shapeshifter offered sheepishly, ignoring the sharp pang in his chest at the sight of Robin pinning Raven's arms behind her back.

His teammates' expressions were unreadable as they slowly separated, Robin tentatively releasing his hold of Raven as she stepped away from him, before gingerly rubbing her wrist. Robin hadn't _hurt_ her, right?

Tearing his eyes from the empath, Beast Boy shot his leader a forced grin as he slowly crept into the room. "What's up?"

He watched as Robin stepped off of the wrestling mat, his workout shoes squeaking loudly against the linoleum floor. "Just teaching Raven some self-defense tactics," the masked titan answered after a moment, his hand reaching for the sports drink on the bench before him.

Beast Boy nodded absently, mentally berating himself for the sudden possessive feeling that the sight of Raven standing so close to another male brought. It wasn't necessarily something he felt that often; in fact, it really only reared its ugly head when the contact was rather unexpected. Like, for instance, anytime Adonis would corner her in battle, or the way her grimy fan-boys would cling to her during photo-ops. It also didn't help that she was dressed in tight spandex leggings and a loose-fitting maroon tank-top, with the grey material of her sports bra peeking through.

Swallowing nervously, Beast Boy tried to ignore the bead of sweat that slowly trailed its way towards Raven's cleavage, and he instead forced himself to look at her face.

Her cheeks were flushed a deliciously pink color, with a thin layer of sweat coating her forehead. Her violet locks were pulled back into a braid of some sort (courtesy of Starfire, he assumed), and her mouth was resting in a small pout.

Again, it was unreal how nice she looked, when he knew for a fact that if it had been _him_ all sweaty and flushed, _nice_ would be the _last_ description anyone would use.

"Care to join us?" Robin mused, taking a swig of the blue liquid and bringing the changeling back to reality.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to respond, but the empath beat him to it.

"I actually invited him to join," she admitted dryly, her eyes leisurely trailing up Beast Boy, as if she were silently scrutinizing his outfit. Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, the changeling glanced down, hurriedly scanning his baby-blue t-shirt for any wrinkles or forgotten stains.

"Huh," Robin replied, arching his brow, before a small smile tugged at his lips. "Good thinking, Raven. Beast Boy's height and build are more similar to yours, which means a fairer fight."

Scoffing at the implication, Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at his leader. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?" he snapped, having half a mind to be offended. It wasn't like the Boy Wonder was some kind of behemoth; he barely surpassed Starfire in height.

But Robin only shrugged. "I'm just stating the obvious," he answered simply. "You guys are closest in size, as the two smallest. No offense."

Still feeling the urge to defend himself, the changeling huffed. " _Small?_ Dude, I've got like, _three_ inches on Rae, and like, _thirty_ pounds!" he insisted, stepping further into the room while gesturing towards the empath wildly. "If _anyone's_ small, it's _her_! I mean, she's so tiny!" Again, he found his eyes drawn to her, though he took full advantage of checking her out (under the guise of _comparing_ them, of course). Had he ever mentioned how much he loved leggings?

Raven merely rolled her eyes in response to his comment. "I'm of average height for my age and gender," she deadpanned, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Beast Boy waved his hand dismissively, grinning despite himself. "Not for a superhero - you're, like, _way_ tiny for a superhero," he pointed out teasingly. Although, if the changeling were to be honest, he kinda liked that Raven was on the smaller side, seeing how _he_ was also rather short for a hero. Plus, knowing how much power was hidden within that petite frame of hers? Kinda hot.

Though, obviously, Raven was unaware of his sentiments. "Sorry my body isn't up to your standard," she replied, her voice flat and uncaring.

Beast Boy could feel himself blush as he bit his tongue, not trusting himself to speak. Truthfully, Raven's body was _the_ standard - she was lean yet curvy, her body shape best described as an athletic hourglass. She was like, _straight_ - _up_ bombshell status. A total babe.

But, naturally, telling her that would be highly inappropriate and would most likely result in him being tossed into the bay. So, again, he refrained from speaking.

Luckily, Robin kept them from falling into an awkward silence. "We can't do anything about your height, but we _can_ increase your strength," their leader began, setting his drink back down before stepping onto the mat. "Okay, Beast Boy - I need you to stand here." He gestured towards the middle of the mat, giving the changeling a pointed stare through his mask.

His shoulders slumping as he sighed, Beast Boy shyly made his way towards his teammate.

"Okay, Raven," Robin continued, beckoning the empath with the wave of his hand. "I need you to stand directly in front of Beast Boy," he ordered.

Beast Boy stiffened slightly as Raven stepped in front of him, the smell of her heady sweat and lavender shampoo wafting towards his nose as she turned her back to him. He inhaled greedily, allowing himself to momentarily enjoy the intoxicating aroma, before tuning back in to his leader's instructions.

"Alright, Beast Boy, I need you to hook your arms under Raven's, like you're trying to drag her away," Robin explained, motioning with his own arms what needed to be done.

Beast Boy nodded slowly, before hesitantly doing as told. The feeling of his forearm making direct contact with the half-demon's skin sent a pleasant jolt through his body, though he did his best to ignore it as he pulled her towards him.

Raven idly leaned into his hold, her head bobbing slightly as she waited for Robin's next step.

"You can be a little more forceful - she's not gonna break," the masked titan mused lightly, giving the changeling a smirk.

Beast Boy swallowed down the lump in his throat as he nodded, before warily pulling the empath flush against him.

His heart was beating against his chest so hard, he wondered if Raven could feel it. Again, she seemed nonplussed by their position and continued to wait patiently as Robin mimed her next move. Beast Boy, on the other hand, didn't pay their leader any attention, for every part of him was currently preoccupied with the fact that _Raven_ was so close.

She was colder than he had expected, though the shapeshifter tended to run hot. Still, it was a stark difference to most people's body temperature, and Beast Boy found he kinda liked it. She was also incredibly soft; her pale skin smooth and unblemished. Like porcelain. Soft porcelain. Was that a thing? Probably not.

Raven shifted slightly as she listened to Robin, and Beast Boy suddenly found her a _lot_ closer. Despite being taller than her, she had incredibly long legs, so when she adjusted her position against him, her backside rubbed against a certain part of the changeling's anatomy that he held near and dear.

A certain part of his anatomy that he was hoping _wouldn't_ realize his teammate's proximity.

His face flushing furiously, Beast Boy attempted to put a little space between himself and Raven; at least before nature took its course and his hormones acted without his consent.

Unfortunately, it seemed the empath was entirely unaware of the predicament she was causing, and again pushed herself against him.

He tried to ignore the feeling of her ass (firm, yet soft, and _wow_ , it was so totally - _wait, NO!_ ), and instead directed his focus towards their leader.

Robin was still miming to the empath, who had begun to tentatively mimic the masked titan's moves as she rolled her shoulders against Beast Boy's chest. Again, the sensation sent another jolt through his body, and he felt a telltale twitch in his nether regions.

Suppressing a whimper, Beast Boy discreetly tried to separate their bodies, while still keeping a firm hold, lest Robin call him out on 'taking it easy' on the empath. He could feel her shift again, but he barely had time to register her placement when he suddenly found himself flipping forward, before landing on his back with a solid _smack_.

The air rushing from his lungs, the changeling stared at the ceiling above him in confusion. "... _Ow_ ," he croaked after a moment, his mind finally registering the pain. _Yep,_ that was gonna bruise.

His vision of the ceiling was soon obscured by the faces of his teammates, who were looking down at him in amusement.

"I told you to brace for impact," Robin stated plainly, giving the green titan a smirk. Raven just regarded him coolly, her eyebrow arching as her eyes slowly drifted over his face, down his torso and towards -

An unmanly yelp escaped Beast Boy's lips as he hurriedly rolled onto his stomach, effectively hiding his rather embarrassing... _guest_. Luckily, his teammates seemed unaware of their new companion, and continued to stare bemusedly at the shapeshifter.

"You okay?" Robin asked hesitantly, though his smirk persisted.

Beast Boy could only nod as he laid the side of his face against the cool, flat surface of the mat. _Inhale..._ _One, two, three... Exhale... Inhale... One, two, three..._ he counted mentally, hoping to dispel any lingering emotions that the empath could potentially pick up on. Although, it wasn't necessarily _his_ fault that he had gotten a little excited. After all, _Raven_ was the one shoving herself all up against his business. It was basic math: Raven's ass, plus physical contact with it, equaled the need for a long, cold shower. And finding that she smelled so fucking _good_ when she was all sweaty and breathless also contributed to the equation, further cementing the fact that Beast Boy's reaction was totally out of his hands.

So he popped a boner? Sue him! He was young, healthy, and in the presence of Raven. It wasn't the first time, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be the last. He was just gonna lie here until it was gone. No biggie.

"Are you planning on getting back up?" Robin mused after a moment, lightly nudging the green teen with his foot.

"Nope," Beast Boy replied bluntly.

The titan's leader merely chuckled, before the sound of his retreating footsteps met the changeling's ears, along with the _whooshing_ of the door.

Raven, on the other hand, remained rooted in her spot. He couldn't exactly see her face from his current location, but her feet were in his peripheral vision. She was wearing a simple pair of black sneakers - nothing fancy or overly athletic. Her socks were peeking out around her ankles; a crisp white, most likely cotton. Basic.

Plain socks and sneakers. Dark, pattern-less clothing. Mundane. Boring.

 _Boring_. Like her books. Or one of Robin's lectures. Or watching the weather channel.

Feeling his problem slowly subside, Beast Boy warily lifted his head, his eyes hurriedly passing over Raven's body before meeting her inquisitive gaze.

"Having fun?" she deadpanned, her violet eyes tinted with mirth.

Beast Boy forced a winning smile. "Oh, tons," he replied, borrowing a pinch of her dry wit.

Raven merely arched her brow.

Beast Boy continued to smile as he propped himself up on his elbows, his head resting in his hands. "We should totally do this again sometime," he suggested, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

His breath hitched slightly when Raven smiled in response, and though it still wasn't a grin, he could have sworn he saw a hint of teeth. But before he could dwell on how pretty she looked when smiling, reality slapped him in the face. This was _Raven_. And thinking those things about _Raven_ was not allowed. She was his teammate. His friend. His _best friend's_ younger 'sister'.

She was off-limits. _Sooooo_ completely off-limits. No matter how pretty she looked with a smile. Or with a frown. Or just in general.

 _No_ , he growled internally. _Stop it. Do_ not _think of her like that_.

His brows furrowing, Beast Boy pushed himself off of the floor and back onto his feet. He still felt slightly winded, but the smell of the unclean wrestling mat was beginning to aggravate his sensitive nose. His eyes avoiding Raven's, he quickly dusted off his clothing as he took a step away from her, giving him some much needed space.

Space between them was good. Normal. Less confusing.

Again, the empath seemed unbothered by his actions, and he watched from the corner of his eye as she idly inspected her fingernails. They were unpainted, unlike her toenails. Was that weird? Did girls do stuff like that? Starfire's nails were always manicured, weren't they? Sure, he didn't inspect the alien nearly as much as the half-demon before him, but he did find his attention wandering towards the redhead every now and then.

Not in like, a pervy way, though. Starfire was absolutely gorgeous, sure, and he sometimes found himself in awe of her alien beauty. But it was in a friendly, appreciative sort of way. Like looking at a sunset, or a flower. He could acknowledge her beauty without feeling guilty.

With Raven, though? _Ugh_ , he felt _way_ too much.

 _..._

 _Guilt!_ He felt way too much _guilt!_ Nothing else!

His heart-rate quickening, Beast Boy refrained from mentally chastising himself, and instead repeated his breathe, one-two-three thing. He knew Raven wouldn't _actively_ try to sense his emotions, but the thought of her picking up on even a _hint_ of what he was feeling terrified him.

 _Wait!_ Scratch that! He wasn't, like, _feeling_ anything for her! Aside from companionship. And panic. Sparing her a quick glance, he could feel the color drain from his face as she returned his gaze with a pointed look.

She wasn't _reading_ him right now, was she? Oh, god - if she _was_ , she was totally going to get the wrong idea!

 _Inhale, one-two-three, exhale. Inhale,onetwothree,exhale._

Raven cocked her head to the side as she continued to observe him. "Are you feeling okay?"

He tried to smile, but his mind was too busy freaking out to properly control the muscles of his face. " _Yep!_ " he answered squeakily. Okay, his voice still worked. That was good.

Raven looked unconvinced, taking a small step towards him.

 _Not so good_.

"Are you sure?" she pressed, her voice devoid of the concern she was possibly feeling, if her slight frown was any indication.

Beast Boy took a step backwards. _Space._ "Yeah, I'm fine!" he insisted, though his body betrayed him as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "Just, uh, a little dizzy, is all," he added awkwardly, forcing a smile. "It's only been, what, a day since my concussion?"

Raven seemed unaffected by his disarming grin. "Perhaps sparring so soon after your injury was a bad idea," she deadpanned, her eyes searching his skeptically. "I shouldn't have suggested it."

He watched as her eyes fell to the floor, the frown on her lips becoming more apparent. Suddenly feeling guilty for a whole new reason, Beast Boy animatedly waved his hands in front of him. "No, no, no!" he exclaimed, taking a small step towards her. "This was fun! I mean, not the whole 'getting thrown on the ground thing', but, like, the hanging out with you! I like hanging out with you, Rae! We don't do it nearly as much as we should."

He blushed slightly as the words left his mouth, though everything he said was true. And friendly.

Raven's gaze hesitantly met his, though nearly a minute of silence passed between them before she spoke. (Why did she do things like that? It made everything so awkward. Did she not know how to have a normal conversation?)

Still, it took her a moment to mull over his words. "Huh. You're right," she concluded, crossing her arms over her stomach. "We don't hang out very often. We should change that."

A genuine smile split the changeling's face into two. "Totally!" he agreed, his enthusiasm undeniably apparent.

Raven gave him a curt nod, her eyes boring into his in a way that probably should have scared him (or, at the very least, prepared him for what she was about to say). "Maybe we can get dinner some time." It wasn't a question.

Beast Boy's smile waned as he attempted to quickly process her statement. Still, it took several seconds for her words to sink in fully, before the changeling felt his entire world come to a sudden, crashing halt. "Uh... wha... _huh?_ "

But Raven remained stoic. "Tomorrow?" she continued, unaware that Beast Boy's brain was no longer working. "Your choice of restaurant, of course. I'm not sure what is 'Garfield-friendly'," she admitted, shrugging.

The use of his real name threw him off even further, his mouth opening and closing as he searched for something - _anything_ \- to say.

"D-d- _dinner_..?" he repeated dumbly.

Raven nodded once more, seemingly unfazed by his bewilderment. "I'll let you think about it," she offered, before slowly making her way towards the exit. "Where we're _going_ , that is," she quickly amended, her hand hovering over the button beside the door as she regarded him from over her shoulder. "The dinner part is non-negotiable."

Again, his ears were met with the _whoosh_ of the door, before he found himself standing alone in the training room. The synapses in his brain slowly firing back up, Beast Boy's face twisted into a scowl.

... _Dinner?_

What the hell was _happening_?

* * *

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	3. Dinner

"Hell yeah! High score _again!_ "

"Hmm."

"Booyah! Who's the king?"

"Mmph."

"There it is - another win!"

"Mmhmm."

"Come on, grass stain. Are you even _trying?_ "

Cyborg's taunts fell on deaf ears as Beast Boy absently button-mashed the controller. The device felt somewhat foreign in his hands, his fingers only moving from muscle memory. Video games with the chrome dome were usually enough to distract the changeling for hours on end, but he had far too much on his mind to properly enjoy his guy-time.

He was supposed to have dinner later. With _Raven_. And insanity like that _definitely_ trumped video games.

His eyes darting towards the clock, Beast Boy felt his stomach drop. It was nearing 5 pm; they had agreed to meet on the roof _at 5 pm_. He was running out of time, and he hadn't even thought of a place to go yet!

"Aw, man! You're just making this _way_ too easy!" Cyborg continued, still unaware of the teen spacing out beside him.

Beast Boy attempted to focus on his avatar before him, but it proved to be fruitless. He couldn't enjoy decapitating Cyborg's character when all he could think about was _Raven_.

She wasn't much of an eater - he had nearly five years worth of proof of that. Sure, she partook in the occasional slice of pizza, and she never turned down fresh waffles, but aside from that? The girl just drank her tea, nibbled on a protein bar every now and then, and possibly photosynthesized. So, where was he expected to take her?

"Friends!"

Jumping slightly at the sound of Starfire's voice, Beast Boy whipped his head towards his alien teammate, his video game entirely forgotten.

Starfire was standing in the kitchen, her arms full of every condiment that had inhabited their fridge.

"I shall be making our meal this evening!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Are there any of the requests?"

His eyes zeroing in on what looked to be an old, forgotten tub of mayonnaise, Beast Boy found himself suddenly grateful for the confusion that the empath was causing him. Starfire's cooking was... yeah. So, with newly found purpose, he gave his teammate a halfhearted shrug. "Sorry, Star; I've already got plans!"

The redhead merely nodded, before turning herself towards the stove. Cyborg, on the other hand, let out a snort of amusement at the changeling's excuse.

"What, you got a hot date or something?" he teased, lightly elbowing Beast Boy's side.

The shapeshifter froze as he mulled over his teammate's question. _Did he?_ "Heh, uh... Me and Rae are getting dinner," he answered after a moment. He tried to focus on the paused game before him, but he could see the half-robot stiffen slightly from the corner of his eye. Beast Boy grimaced, his head sinking between his shoulders as he braced himself for the teasing or pummeling or possibly even death.

But Cyborg only nodded. "Oh, cool. Where y'all going?" His voice was even, with a tint of genuine curiosity and a pinch of surprise.

Feeling confused for a completely new reason, Beast Boy regarded his friend warily. "Uh... I'm not sure, yet," he replied, his eyes scanning the robot for any physical sign of anger. Why wasn't Cyborg killing him?

"She left it up to you?" the robotic titan guessed, arching his brow.

Beast Boy smiled sheepishly.

Letting out a hearty chuckle, Cyborg stood from the couch, before giving his teammate a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Yeah, she never picks for herself. I usually just take her to that little cafe by the library."

But at this, Beast Boy's smile wavered. "You what?"

"Oh! I know friend Raven very much enjoys the beans of jelly! We always consume those while we go on our weekly outings!" Starfire added from the kitchen.

"Weekly what?" Beast Boy repeated, his brows furrowing as he looked between his two teammates. Was he the only one who _hadn't_ had a one-on-one meal with the empath?

"Yeah, and Rob always takes her to that yoga place with all the fancy shakes and juices," Cyborg continued, before expertly maneuvering around the alien as he hid a few of her ingredients.

Frowning, Beast Boy mulled over this new information as he sunk back into the couch. Raven went out to 'dinner' with all of them. This wasn't some special occasion to get all worked-up over. It was dinner between teammates; between _friends_. He didn't have to freak out over it. It didn't mean anything.

...Even though he kinda _wanted_ it to. But who could blame him - thinking the half-demon had the hots for him was a total ego-booster.

Feeling an odd mixture of relief and disappointment, he spared another glance at the clock. It was officially five in the evening. He was supposed to meet Raven on the roof.

They were getting _dinner_.

* * *

"The ice cream parlor?"

Raven's voice was devoid of emotion, as per usual, and her face was as blank as ever. She was dressed in her uniform, her hood left down, and her eyes seemed to shine in the faint red glow of the sign above them.

Beast Boy could only smile at the empath, before nervously running his fingers through his hair. Why did she have to be so pretty?

"You said _my_ choice," he defended weakly, while trying not to noticeably stare at her. _Not a date_ , he reminded himself mentally.

Raven crossed her arms over her stomach, eyeing the changeling inquisitively. "I did say that," she confirmed somewhat needlessly, before her gaze drifted back towards the building before them.

It was a quaint place, with a 50's theme and over a hundred different frozen dessert options. But it also served burgers and fries, and though Beast Boy wasn't planning on consuming any flesh, he figured the extended menu was a nice touch. Raven liked burgers, right?

... _Right?_

Suddenly regretting his last-minute choice, Beast Boy took a small step backwards. Had he ever even _seen_ Raven eat a burger? "We can totally go somewhere else!" he offered, his hand moving from his hair and onto the back of his neck, where he began to rub it sheepishly.

Raven's eyes darted towards him once more, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Actually, ice cream sounds... nice," she mused, unaware of the spell she was casting on him as his gaze focused on her lips. But he caught himself almost immediately and looked away, before any uninvited images could corrupt his mind.

They were _friends_. Friends that were getting a friendly _dinner_. There was no need to stare at her _lips_.

Oblivious to her teammate's inner struggle, Raven marched towards the entrance, her cloak floating behind her gracefully; almost as if it were beckoning him, along with the subtle scent of lavender.

Beast Boy fought back a groan as he hurriedly followed after her.

A waitress dressed in a red and white striped dress instantly greeted them, her smile practically blinding as she shook with nervous excitement. Being a superhero was akin to being a celebrity, and though both titans were used to the extra attention, it sometimes caught them off guard. Or, at least, Beast Boy assumed that was the case as Raven quickly backed away from the girl, bumping into him slightly while doing so.

His hands immediately went to steady her, but she hurriedly shook him off, sending him a halfhearted glare. Beast Boy held his hands up innocently - it was honestly just a reflex, stemming from all the times they caught each other during combat. And sure, he tended to keep tabs on the empath a little more than necessary, but he was just a concerned teammate, obviously. And Robin wasn't assigning her extra training for nothing. Though, he knew touching her without her consent was a bit of a no-no, but before he could find the sense to be embarrassed, the waitress attempted to speak.

"Oh my - I-I mean, w-welcome! Please follow me to your, um, I mean, would you prefer a table or booth?" the young brunette stuttered, her red face glowing as bright as the sign on the building.

Beast Boy's eyes locked with Raven's, his eyebrows arching inquisitively as he waited for her to answer. She simply returned the gesture.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes (that was more of a _Raven_ thing to do, anyway), he let out a exasperated groan. "It's up to you, Rae."

He could have sworn she almost smiled.

"Booth," the empath answered, her features softening slightly as she regarded the nervous waitress. "Preferably somewhere more... private," she continued.

Beast Boy cursed his thoughts for slipping back into the gutter as Raven's words echoed in his mind. She wanted privacy from _fans_ , obviously. Not privacy with _him_.

"Oh, of course! Right this way!" the girl replied happily, before leading them towards the back of the diner.

There were a few other patrons seated at various tables, though they barely even looked up as the titans passed, the citizens seemingly more interested in the meals before them. But the changeling didn't mind. It was nice to be invisible for once.

With the waitress leading them further from the other customers, Beast Boy again found himself marveling at the 50's decor. Red and white were an unmistakable theme, with striped bar stools and booths and candy-apple tables every few feet. Everything was a shiny linoleum, causing a few of the shapeshifter's animal instincts to squirm curiously within him. The smell of raw beef, bleach, and ice cream immediately attacked Beast Boy's nostrils as the waitress led them past the kitchen in her quest to finding the perfect booth. His nose wrinkled at the strange combination of scents, though he didn't complain outwardly. It wasn't the diner's fault that he had an incredible sense of smell.

Stepping closer to his teammate, he attempted to block everything else out as he greedily breathed in her scent. Lavender, herbal tea, and an underlining hint of musk; a somewhat painful reminder that she was a woman. A woman that he would never get the chance to be with intimately.

Not that he, like, _wanted_ to be with her or anything. Yeah, he fantasized about it occasionally, but daydreams weren't a testament to his wants, and wet dreams didn't count.

"Will this do?" the waitress asked kindly, gesturing to the booth in the corner. Again, it was red and white, with one narrow window beside it. The booth had a slight view of the entrance, but if someone wasn't actively looking for it, it could easily be missed. All in all, it was probably the most private place to sit, aside from the bathrooms on the opposite side of the diner. But Beast Boy wasn't too keen on smelling _that_.

"It's perfect, thank you," Raven replied, before seating herself to face the entrance.

Beast Boy nodded at the waitress in agreement as he sat himself across from his teammate.

"Alrighty then!" the girl grinned, setting down the menus and clapping her hands together. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

Her eyes darted between the two of them expectantly, her earlier nerves nearly forgotten.

"Water for now, please," Raven deadpanned, before summoning the menu with her powers.

The brunette's gaze shifted to Beast Boy.

"Uh, I'll have the same," he answered, giving the girl a toothy smile.

Her entire face seemed to light up as she returned it. "Sounds good! I'll be back with your waters in a moment! In the meantime, go ahead and look through our menu! Our special today is our Extra-Fudge Banana Split Milkshake with a cheeseburger and your choice of fries or - "

"I'll just have a scoop of your Matcha gelato," Raven interrupted, her neutral expression hardening slightly as she held her menu towards the waitress.

The girl blinked at her in surprise, before gently taking the menu and nodding her head. "Oh, um, alright!"

Beast Boy cringed slightly as he watched the waitress deflate - he knew not to take Raven's impatience personally, but the brunette was not as versed as him when it came to dealing with the half-demon's wrath.

"I'd like a vanilla soy-milkshake and a side of fries, please," the changeling interjected kindly, hoping to defuse the tension.

The waitress glanced back at him, her smile returning as she took his menu. "Coming right up!" she enthused.

Feeling the awkwardness immediately subside at the waitress's retreat, Beast Boy returned his attention towards the empath across from him. She was staring out the small window, her expression blank, aside from the slight furrow of her brows.

Not wanting to fall into a prolonged silence, Beast Boy leaned over the table slightly, clearing his throat.

Raven spared him a curious glance.

"Ahem, uh... what's _matcha?_ "

The corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly, and he again wondered if she had been about to smile.

"Green tea," she answered plainly, before shifting herself over the table as well, her elbows resting on the linoleum as she held her chin in her hands. It was kinda cute, if he was allowed to think that. Though, he probably wasn't. _Cute_ wasn't a word Raven was very fond of. _Cute_ wasn't a word he could ever use in reference to her, if he valued his life. So, pushing aside his potential comments on her appearance, the green titan focused on the answer he had been given.

 _Wait_ \- did she say _green tea?_

Beast Boy frowned, unsure if he was disgusted or confused. "Green tea _ice cream_?" he repeated incredulously.

" _Gelato_ ," Raven corrected, her lips doing the little half smirk thing _again_.

Her mouth was going to be the death of him.

But, not wanting to dwell over _that_ , Beast Boy attempted to focus on the topic at hand. Raven had just ordered _green tea_ ice cream. "Only _you_ would pick something so... _weird_ ," he mused, shaking his head slightly as he leaned back into his seat.

Raven's elbows remained on the table as she idly regarded the changeling. "I don't think it's weird," she admitted flatly, her eyes lazily tracing over his face. "I like tea, and I like the color green. _Green tea_ is a combination of both. It seemed like the perfect choice."

His stomach twisted uncomfortably at her admission, though he tried not to overthink it. Still, the question was dancing in the back of his throat, begging to spew out like projectile word-vomit. "You like green?"

Raven's mouth (the one feature of hers he _really_ needed to stop focusing on) opened as she prepared to answer, but the clanging of glass interrupted her.

"Two waters!" the waitress announced, setting the glasses before them with poorly-timed flourish. "And we're just waiting on your fries, but we can bring out the ice cream right now if you'd like?"

This time Beast Boy opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Raven.

"We'd like it to come out all together," she deadpanned, her gaze drifting towards the window once more.

Sensing she was outstaying her welcome, the peppy brunette merely nodded, before sending them one last smile as she hurriedly retreated back towards the kitchen.

Beast Boy felt a pang of sympathy stab at his gut as he watched the waitress scurry away. "You feeling okay, Rae?" he wondered, his eyes trailing back towards his teammate. He knew she wasn't exactly a people-person, but her treatment of the brunette was a bit harsher than what was warranted.

Raven continued to stare out the window, his question going unanswered for a few moments. "I'm just... a little hungry," she finally replied. "And this girl talks more than you."

But at that, Beast Boy rolled his eyes fondly. "Gee, seems more like you're _hangry_ ," he teased.

Raven arched a brow, though she didn't meet his gaze as she tentatively chewed on her bottom lip before answering. "That's not a real word."

Again, Beast Boy's eyes betrayed him as they zeroed in on her lips. She had nice lips. Full. Pouty. Kissable. Lips he thought about way too often. And sure, he thought about a _lot_ of her body parts, and things he'd like to do to them, but none of those parts plagued his mind as often as her full, pouty, kissable lips.

Lips that were doing that little almost-smile thing again.

"I was expecting you to pick a vegan place."

It took a moment for her words to sink in. He was almost _certain_ that that was considered a smile. "Huh?"

The corners of Raven's mouth turned upwards as she let out an exasperated sigh. "I _said_ ," she began, playfully annoyed, "I was expecting you to pick a vegan place. Somewhere that only served raw, whole-food, organic crap."

A snort of amusement escaped the changeling. "Ugh, yuck!" he exclaimed, scrunching up his nose in disgust. "I hate all that pretentious vegan crap!"

Raven turned to face him fully, a hint of surprise tainting her otherwise placid expression. "Really?" she deadpanned, disbelieving.

But Beast Boy nodded eagerly in confirmation. "Yeah, that stuff is..." He stuck out his tongue, hoping to convey his feelings on the matter when the appropriate word escaped him. "Besides," he continued, opting for a more mature discussion, "tofu is like, my life and purpose, and that's not exactly unprocessed or whatever. Like, veggieburgers don't grow on trees, you know?"

Raven gave him a shrug as she reached for her water, her eyes bright with what he hoped was amusement. "Hmm, I hadn't considered that," she mused, before pursing her lips as she took a small sip.

Again, Beast Boy was about to say something, but was interrupted by the waitress.

"Matcha gelato!" she announced, setting the light green substance in front of the empath, "And a vanilla shake and fries!" She then placed the changeling's meal in front of him, before giving him another grin. "Any ketchup?"

Beast Boy eyed his meal hungrily. "Nah, we're good. Thanks, though!"

The brunette nodded, before shooting him and his teammate one last smile as she backed away. "Enjoy!"

His hands acting on their own accord, Beast Boy grabbed several fries from his plate, before dipping them into his milkshake. He could see Raven stare at him from the corner of his eye, though the need to bring the food to his mouth was more important than her look of disgust.

"What?" he asked, once his mouth was full of sweet and salty deliciousness.

Raven's brows were furrowed as she regarded the changeling incredulously, her spoonful of gelato forgotten as it hovered before her mouth.

"Did you actually just do that," she drawled in disbelief.

Beast Boy cocked his head to the side, confused. "Do _what?_ Eat my dinner?" he mused, before giving her a large, toothy grin.

Raven's violet eyes narrowed. "You dipped your fries into your shake," she elaborated. "Why?"

He could feel his grin growing. "'Cuz it's freaking _amazing_ ," he explained.

The empath looked unconvinced as she finally ate her gelato.

"Besides," Beast Boy continued, eyeing the green dessert on the table suspiciously, "you're the one eating _tea-flavored_ ice cream," he bit back playfully. "Who are you to judge?"

Raven rolled her eyes as she swallowed. "First of all, it's gelato," she corrected pointedly. "And secondly, I am not defiling it with deep-fried potatoes."

"I think _all_ things should be defiled by deep-fried potatoes."

Again, Raven 'smiled', before lazily spooning at her gelato. "Why is that not surprising?" she sighed, mostly to herself, it seemed.

Feeling slightly offended, and unable to help himself, Beast Boy acted on impulse and pushed his meal closer to the empath, before sliding out of his side of the booth and sitting himself next to her. She stiffened slightly at his sudden proximity, though she neglected to comment on it. Beast Boy took that as a good sign.

"You can't knock it till you try it, Rae," he said plainly, before taking a single fry from his plate. He then shoved it into his milkshake, making sure that it was evenly coated with the vanilla-y goodness, before pulling it back out. "If you hate it, you can judge me all you want."

Beast Boy held the fry out to her expectantly. But, when she didn't immediately take it, and just continued to stare at him, he gave it a small wiggle.

"Come _on_ , Rae," he teased, the fry looming closer to her. "Just try it, and I guarantee you'll - "

But he was unable to finish his sentence, for a glob of vanilla ice cream dripped off of the fry and landed directly on the empath's exposed thigh.

"Oh, my bad!" Beast Boy hurriedly apologized, before using his other hand to wipe away the cold dessert. He then brought his finger to his mouth, where he absently licked off the ice cream.

Raven watched all the while, a bemused expression plastered across her usually stoic face.

It was then that the realization of what he had done hit him, and Beast Boy could feel his face flush as a sheepish smile crept across his lips.

"Um... Uh..." But he was unable to articulate an actual sentence, and could only watch helplessly as Raven slowly reached towards his hand, before gently taking the fry and tentatively bringing it to her lips.

She maintained eye contact with him a moment longer, before popping the fry into her mouth.

"Hmm," she mused, her eyes finally leaving his as she regarded the food before them. "That's actually kind of delicious."

But Beast Boy couldn't even enjoy his victory, for his mind kept replaying the last thirty seconds. He had touched Raven's thigh. He had touched Raven's thigh _to remove ice cream_. He had touched Raven's thigh to remove ice cream and then _licked it off of his fingers_. His _bare_ fingers.

 _Shit!_ he exclaimed mentally, his anguish momentarily forgotten as he examined his hands. He _still_ hadn't found his gloves! And now his fingers had the _audacity_ to go around and _touch_ Raven?

And he thought that _staring_ at her was going to kill him.

* * *

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	4. Drama

Beast Boy was currently at a loss for words.

His dinner with Raven had ended on a high note, what with the appearance of a young fan quenching any lingering awkwardness from his... unorthodox ice-cream-eating methods. And sure, those few seconds replayed in his head constantly for the rest of their meal _and_ their trip back home, but he was fairly certain that the two of them would put the moment behind them.

But that was _before_ he saw the paper the next morning.

He could feel his partially-chewed cereal ooze from his opened mouth, but he couldn't find the sense to stop the mushy mess from splattering onto the table before him as his eyes frantically read and reread the headline facing him. He could also hear his teammates' groans of disgust, but they weren't enough to pull him away from the offending sentence that taunted him in all of its Times New Roman glory.

No, nothing else could faze him, for the headline (partially covered by Robin's fingers as the boy wonder skimmed through the classifieds, but undoubtedly spelling out the words _Raven_ and _Beast Boy)_ was the only thing that mattered at the moment.

And _those_ words were unmistakenly accompanied by the word _date_.

His body reacting without his consent, Beast Boy suddenly found himself diving across the table and snatching the offending article from his leader's hands.

"Whoa, what the hell?" Robin protested, but was promptly ignored as the changeling let out an undignified squeak.

"What the _hell?!_ " Beast Boy repeated, his eyes widening as they poured over the fully revealed title.

 _Raven and Beast Boy - Caught on a Date!_

"This isn't... that wasn't... _what the hell?!_ " He could feel his face burn as his brain attempted to understand the text before him. But no matter how many times he reread it, and despite whatever order his mind jumbled it into, he couldn't comprehend the complete insanity that the title represented. It was too crazy; too abstract of a concept. There was no way those words could ever be strung together in an actual, real-life sentence.

"What's it say, BB?"

The sound of Cyborg's voice momentarily brought Beast Boy back to reality, but as his eyes scanned the confused faces of his teammates, he felt his blush deepen at the sight of Raven's arched brow.

"It's - they're s-saying..." but again, any and all words escaped him as his attention darted back towards the article.

 _July 1st_

 _Spotted: Local superheroes Raven and Beast Boy were caught cozying up on what appeared to be a casual dinner date. The two Titans were seen sitting side-by-side while sharing a milkshake at the_ _Ice Cream Parlor, before engaging with several young fans in an impromptu meet-and-greet. Rumors of romance between the two have been circulating ever since -_

"What's it _say?_ " Cyborg repeated impatiently.

But before the changeling could answer (or come up with a plausible excuse before running from the room and burning all evidence of the article), the paper was unceremoniously snatched from his grasp.

"What is the matter, friend?" the perpetrator, or more commonly known as _Starfire_ , asked innocently, her bright green eyes absently trailing over the text in confusion. "Is this not just - _oh!_ "

The alien hurriedly covered her mouth with her free hand, her eyes bugging out comically as she stifled a giggle. But her apparent amusement only fueled Cyborg's curiosity, and Beast Boy watched in horror as the robotic titan leaned across the table.

"Now I _gotta_ know what this is about!" he announced, before tugging the paper from the redhead's hold. Starfire happily obliged as she used her newly-freed hand to smother what appeared to be a sudden laughing-fit.

Beast Boy could feel sweat form along his brow as he watched his best friend lazily read the headline, before a slow, devious grin crept across the eldest titan's face.

"' _Oh_ ' indeed," Cyborg mused menacingly as his gaze momentarily darted towards the shapeshifter, undeniably relishing in the younger hero's embarrassment. Beast Boy attempted to plead with him silently, trying his hardest not to look at the empath sitting to the left of his supposed best friend, despite the way her eyes drilled holes into him. But, it seemed his pleas were ignored as the half-robot's grin only widened. Clearing his throat dramatically, Cyborg began to do the unthinkable. "' _Spotted: Local superheroes Raven and Beast Boy -_ '"

But his teasing was interrupted as Beast Boy once again dove across the table, his ungloved fingertips barely brushing the parchment before Cyborg quickly pulled it from his reach.

"' _\- were caught cozying up on -_ '" Again, Beast Boy made another move to grab the newspaper as he fully flung himself over the table, knocking whatever was left of his cereal to the floor as his other teammates swiftly pulled their own breakfasts from his path of destruction.

"' _\- what appeared to be -_ ' Oh, this is just _too_ good!" Cyborg grinned, before slipping off of his chair and stepping away from the table.

Still, Beast Boy continued towards him as he pushed himself off of the table, his potential mortification outweighing whatever embarrassment the scene was causing. He could feel his heart sink into his stomach as he clumsily dashed towards his teammate, but Cyborg hurriedly held out his hand and effectively stiff-armed the changeling into place.

"' - _a casual dinner date'_ ," Cyborg finished triumphantly, his human eye glistening with mirth.

The sound of Starfire's untamed giggling quickly squashed whatever fight Beast Boy had left in him, and it took nearly all of his willpower not to morph into a bug and fly straight into the fan above them.

Cyborg's own laughter soon joined the alien's, before the larger titan moved his hand from the changeling's chest, and instead gave him a friendly clap on the shoulder.

"I had no idea y'all were an item," he taunted between chuckles.

Beast Boy's face burned even brighter as he glared at his _former_ best friend. "That isn't... we're _not_..." But again, his brain was unable to come up with an actual sentence, and all he could do was open and close his mouth helplessly.

Though, the sudden whiff of lavender and herbs caused him to clamp his mouth shut as he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye.

"May I?" Raven deadpanned, stepping fully into view and holding her hand out towards Cyborg.

The robotic titan loftily complied.

Beast Boy's pulse pounded within his ears as he slowly turned himself to face the half-demon beside him.

Raven's expression was unreadable as her eyes skimmed through the article, though she did let out an occasional snort of amusement. But that did nothing to ease Beast Boy's mind - if anything, it made things worse. She was openly _laughing_ at the prospect of dating him! As if he _wasn't_ a total catch! And sure, deep down he _knew_ that she was leagues above him, but a part of him had kinda wished she'd never figure that out.

Not 'cuz he wanted her to ever consider dating him or anything; they were just friends! It'd be so weird for him to want her to think of him as anything more than that. No, he just didn't want her to... He didn't want anyone realizing... He wanted everyone to think...

 _Great, can't even finish a_ thought! he grumbled internally. But before he could dwell on it further, Raven let out a slow, labored sigh.

"You'd think there'd be more important things to write about," she mused flatly, before lying the paper on the table and grabbing her mug.

Beast Boy's mind was as blank as the stare he gave her, though she paid him no mind as she took a sip of her tea.

"Oh, come on, Raven!" Cyborg exclaimed, his amusement ever present. "That's some grade-A entertainment right there!"

The empath merely rolled her eyes, before setting her sights on Beast Boy, who had yet to find his voice.

"It's just a dumb article. Print media is dying, and they'll put out anything remotely newsworthy - regardless of the authenticity. No need to get so worked up over it."

Her casual explanation of it was enough to bring Beast Boy back to his senses. "But it's - it's _insane!_ " he insisted, frantically gesturing towards the paper. "They're trying to turn us into some kinda... _power couple!_ "

Still, Raven seemed unfazed by the revelation. "It's gossip," she replied simply.

"It's _weird!_ " he continued, his eyes pleading with hers to agree.

But she only shrugged. "It's hearsay. Drama. Hell, Beast Boy - it's _page six_. Last week they accused Speedy and _Aqualad_ of dating."

Cyborg's laughter grew even louder, though the changeling continued to do his best to ignore him, as there were more pressing matters at hand. For some reason, the fact that Raven wasn't allowing herself to be as outraged by the article as he was was making him feel kinda... _odd_. Tingly, even.

"B-but they're saying we're... _together_ ," he elaborated, as if she wasn't fully comprehending the implication. "They're saying we're _dating,_ Raven!"

Again, her face was devoid of any expression, aside from the slight tug at the corner of her mouth. "Yes, well... I've been accused of worse."

Beast Boy continued to gawk at her, unable to process her last statement as his train of thought darted back towards the article. He hadn't had the chance to read the rest of it, and his curiosity was getting the best of him. But as he tore his eyes off of his confusing teammate, he realized bitterly that Robin had reclaimed the paper, and was again skimming through the classifieds.

"It's just drama," Raven repeated dully, as if sensing his sudden desire to read the entire thing.

Beast Boy could only nod his head in defeat, though the tingly feeling had yet to disappear. "I just don't want people thinking that we... that I _like_ you or whatever," he offered, before mentally kicking himself at how awful that sounded.

His gaze immediately darting back to Raven, he felt the urge to _actually_ kick himself as he took in the placid expression she was forcing.

"Of course you wouldn't," she agreed icily. "All of your _fans_ would be devastated to think you were off of the market."

Cyborg and Starfire's laughter slowing began to subside as the mood in the room shifted.

Realizing that he was quickly digging himself into a hole, Beast Boy attempted to rephrase his last comment. "That's so not what I meant! It's nothing like that, Rae!" he insisted, holding his hands before him in surrender. "Like, I'm not saying I'm _ashamed_ of liking you - or, I mean, I _would_ be if I _did -_ Gah, no! What I'm trying to say is - "

But Raven merely held up her free hand, effectively silencing him. "I know what you're trying to say," she deadpanned, reclaiming her stoic facade. "If anyone needs me, don't. I'll be meditating in my room."

And with that, she phased through the portal below her, leaving Beast Boy to again question everything she ever said to him.

* * *

"So am I the _tic_ , or am I the _tac?_ "

Beast Boy scrunched his nose in confusion at Starfire's question, before shaking his head dismissively. "Uh, neither, Star - you're the X. You just draw an X on any of the free spaces."

He watched as the alien furrowed her brows, before giving him an enthusiastic nod. "Right - and I am to get three in the row, correct?"

Eyeing the piece of paper between them, Beast Boy grunted in confirmation. Starfire had insisted on learning a new game, and though Beast Boy welcomed the distraction at first, he was finding it harder and harder to focus. His mind kept wandering back to the conversation he had had with Raven, and his accidental insult.

"May I go in a diagonal formation?" Starfire queried.

Again, Beast Boy grunted. He hadn't meant to hurt Raven's feelings; he had just been so worked up over Cyborg's teasing. Plus, the article had come completely out of nowhere - they were obviously just two friends enjoying a night out! Why did those stupid 'reporters' have to put a romantic spin on it? As if Beast Boy didn't have a hard enough time ignoring his attraction to the empath; the last thing he needed was everything in writing.

Watching as Starfire finished her second X, Beast Boy absently blocked her move.

"Hmph!" Starfire pouted, before quickly penciling in another X. Again, the changeling blocked it.

"Do you think Raven's still meditating?" he mused aloud while scribbling out their tied-game and starting a new one.

The alien hurriedly claimed the middle space with her X, before giving the shapeshifter a halfhearted shrug. "Perhaps. Though she has been meditating more frequently as of late. I cannot say for sure that she has finished."

Beast Boy lazily claimed a corner with his O. "Yeah, well, it's been like an hour, right? She has to be done by now," he reasoned.

Again, the redhead shrugged. "It is possible," she offered, while taking her next turn.

No longer paying the game any mind, Beast Boy missed his obvious block as he scribbled in a random O. "I should find her, don't you think? Apologize for earlier?"

Her eyes lighting up in realization, Starfire hurriedly marked in her X, before letting out a triumphant laugh. "Ha! Three in the row!"

But Beast Boy ignored her excitement in favor of repeating himself. "I should find her and apologize, right?"

Starfire rolled her eyes fondly at the changeling's question, before giving him a pointed look. "I doubt Raven requires an apology."

Still, Beast Boy was unconvinced. "Yeah, but I kinda think I should apologize anyway, you know? Like, aren't girls all self-conscious about guys and their opinions? Won't she be offended if she thinks I think she's ugly or something?"

For a moment, it looked as if the alien were about to laugh, but she hurriedly shook her head. "I believe friend Raven is very aware that you do not find her ugly, Beast Boy."

Slightly confused by her phrasing, Beast Boy cocked his head to the side. "Huh?" he replied intelligently.

Again, Starfire's face twisted into a grimace as she bit back what appeared to be another giggle. "Let it just be said... _everyone_ is aware that you do not find Raven ugly."

Despite her slight rephrasing, Beast Boy was still lost, though he decided not to dwell on it. "Right, well... I think I'm gonna apologize anyway, you know? Just in case."

This time, Starfire allowed herself a small, subdued chuckle as she shook her head. "Very well, friend. Do what you think is best."

His confidence rising with the alien's blessing, Beast Boy sprang up from his position on the floor and dashed towards the exit. As the doors open before him, he began to mentally prepare his apology while trekking down the hallway.

 _'Raven, I'm sorry for what I said, and I want you to know that I, in no way, shape, or form, could_ ever _find you ugly.' There, that's good, right?_

Nodding to himself, Beast Boy sprinted the rest of the way, before skidding to a stop in front of the empath's door. Pressing his ear to the metal, he listened for the telltale sound of her breathing.

 _But you never_ said _the word 'ugly'_ , the voice in his head suddenly reasoned, causing the changeling to tear himself off of her door and rethink his approach.

He technically _didn't_ call her ugly - he just implied that he didn't want people to think they were dating. And sure, she could _infer_ that that was what he meant, but if she hadn't thought he was calling her ugly, perhaps bringing the word into the mix was a bad idea? Like, was he just _assuming_ she thought that he was insinuating that she was ugly? Was there another reason she would be offended by his words?

His confidence faltering, Beast Boy stepped away from the empath's door. Maybe Starfire was right - maybe there was no need to apologize. Sure, Raven had left rather abruptly, but she _did_ claim she needed to meditate. Maybe the article had affected her more than she let on? Maybe _she_ was embarrassed? Did she think _he_ was ugly?

With his stomach twisting uncomfortably, Beast Boy began to back away from his teammate's door, only to watch as it slid open with a _whoosh_.

"...Can I help you?"

Raven was standing before him, sans cloak, with a muted expression of confusion plastered across her pretty face.

"Uh?" Beast Boy replied dumbly, unable to remember the conclusion he had come to moments prior. Was he apologizing or not? Shrugging mentally, he decided that an apology would do no harm. "I, uh, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for... earlier."

Raven crossed her arms before her as she regarded him blankly. "Sorry for _what_ , exactly?"

Feeling another blush creep up his neck, Beast Boy offered his teammate one of his signature grins. "For... earlier, you know?" But when she continued to stare at him, he reluctantly elaborated. "Like, what I said was kinda shitty, and I didn't mean it."

Raven nodded slowly, though she still looked unconvinced.

Letting out a sigh, the changeling continued. "It's just, that article was kinda embarrassing, and Cyborg was making everything a hundred times worse, and I didn't want to give him any more blackmail material, so I was just, like, talking out of my ass - "

"Like you're doing now?" Raven interjected smugly, effectively cutting off his rambling.

Smiling sheepishly, Beast Boy couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh. "Uh, yeah. Exactly."

He was elated to see Raven don her signature smirk, and silently congratulated himself on apologizing - _obviously_ it was the right move. "I forgive you, Beast Boy," she relented, uncrossing her arms. "And I think I understand where you were coming from. Cyborg's reaction was completely inappropriate - the news of us dating shouldn't garner _laughter_. You'd think our teammates would be happy for us."

Beast Boy, still enraptured by the empath's slight smile, merely nodded along. "Right."

"I can see why you would be so quick to deny it - they made it sound like some joke. Some punchline to one of your lame one-liners," she continued, unaware of Beast Boy's spacing. "If anything, _they_ should be the ones apologizing."

The shapeshifter continued to nod, but as Raven's words sunk in, he felt himself stiffen. She was talking as if the article were... _true_. No - he must have misunderstood. There had to have been an 'if' he had missed. "Yeah... _if_ we were dating," he clarified, somewhat nervously.

It seemed as though Raven's barely-there smile grew - if that were even possible. " _If_ we were dating," she repeated flatly.

"But that'd be crazy," Beast Boy offered, the tingly feeling washing over him once more. "Like, _we'd_ be crazy."

Still, Raven just smirked, before shrugging nonchalantly. "I've been called worse."

* * *

 **I am so very sorry for the delay! I live in what most would call a tourist trap, and despite being born and raised here, sometimes the summer-fun is enough to distract me from my writing!**

 **For those of you following my story Wingman, I am currently halfway done with the companion piece. The reason it's taking so long is due to the fact that the first chapter is like 9000 words, and I didn't want the second chapter to be significantly shorter, so I'm just having some trouble fluffing it up. But I expect to be finished with it soon!**

 **Oh, and this story is at 100+ follows! That's so awesome! Thank you so much to everyone who is supporting this! It means the world to me, and motivates me to keep writing! And to those of you who showed concerned for my absence, thank you! That was so very sweet lmao!**

 **Please continue to enjoy my writing!**


	5. Doubt

Beast Boy was in unfamiliar territory.

His attraction to Raven was verging on blatantly apparent, that much was true. Sure, he was able to hide it for the most part, but he'd doubt it'd be much of a shock to anyone who figured it out. And really, with the way he was constantly staring at her, it _wouldn't_ take much to figure it out. But that wasn't necessarily the end of the world. Most super heroines were nothing short of stunning, so a fellow random titan realizing that the changeling found the empath cute was hardly newsworthy. And yeah, Cyborg realizing would be a bit of a problem, but he was fairly clueless, and Beast Boy intended to keep it that way. Though, if the robotic titan ever _did_ learn about the shapeshifter's crush - er, _attraction_ to the half-demon, it wouldn't be _that_ bad. Teasing, taunting, and maybe a punch on the shoulder. Nothing way out of the ordinary. (As long as Cyborg didn't learn the full _extent_ of Beast Boy's attraction, that is.)

No, Beast Boy having the hots for Raven wasn't surprising in the least. But if that feeling were mutual... If _Raven_ was harboring a secret attraction to _Beast Boy_...

Smacking himself on the forehead, the green titan quickly shook himself of that thought. Now was _not_ the time to speculate. He was currently downtown, on the main road, in the middle of a mission. The last thing he needed to do was _daydream_.

No, he needed to _focus_. Plasmus had escaped, _yet again_ , and was of course wreaking havoc. It was easy enough to find the gooey monster, seeing how the trail of slime left in its wake wasn't very subtle, nor was the grotesque smell emanating from the gelatinous villain. The _hard_ part was defeating the pile of slime. Another alert had sprouted up mid-mission, causing Robin and Starfire to split off to take care of Johnny Rancid on the other side of town, and Cyborg was too busy evacuating civilians to blast the glob into unconsciousness.

Right now, it was up to him and the girl continuously plaguing his mind.

His nose wrinkling in distaste, Beast Boy spared a glance at the empath hovering above him. Her lips were barely moving as she repeated her mantra, and before he knew it, Raven had uprooted several streetlamps with her magic and sent them hurtling towards their foe.

But Plasmus hardly reacted as the poles shot through it, the monster's attention captured entirely by the spilled contents of an overturned truck. Beast Boy could smell the harsh chemicals from several yards away, and he begrudgingly knew what that entailed. If the nasty glop got to those spilled barrels...

"Don't just stand there, grass stain! _Do_ something!"

Cyborg's voice was enough to send the changeling into action, and he quickly morphed into a rhinoceros and charged. The pounding of his footsteps echoed down the street, yet the monster paid him no mind as it continued to lumber towards the barrels. Bracing himself for impact, Beast Boy tried to think of anything _other_ than the sensation of splattering into the mutated villain.

 _Mopeds, tofu, MegaMonkeys..._

He opened his eyes as he emerged from the goo, immediately shifting back into his human form and spinning on his heels to assess the damage. Unfortunately, he had only succeeded in creating a large hole, which instantly began to shrink as Plasmus reformed.

"Maybe try shifting into something bigger next time?" Raven mused unhelpfully as she landed beside him while delicately plugging her nose.

Beast Boy could only roll his eyes, hardly bothered by her comment. Raven ribbing on him was good. Normal. "How about _you_ do some shifting and summon your soul-self or whatever," he bit back idly, his mind racing far too fast to come up with a better comeback. Now was _also_ not the time to bicker with his teammate. He continued to scope out the scene before them, his eyes darting between the glowing barrels on the street and the monster that was quickly nearing them.

The half-demon apparently noticing the same thing, Beast Boy watched as the barrels became encased in a black aura, before rising from the ground and hovering well above the creature's reach.

"I'm a little busy right now, if you couldn't tell," Raven deadpanned from beside him, her eyes glowing as she raised her arms above her head. "Also, you know how drained I become after a stunt like that; what if the others need back-up, and I'm out of commission?"

Huffing in defeat, Beast Boy reluctantly dropped the subject as he shifted into a triceratops, and again ran straight towards the villain.

 _Wicked Scary, Raven's smile, Silkie..._

Again, his happy thoughts were hardly enough to keep him sane as he shifted back, giving the reforming monster a fierce glare as he attempted to shake off the slime.

Still, Plasmus spared him no mind, and instead set its sights (if the thing could even actually _see_ ; Beast Boy wasn't sure) on Raven, before moving towards her at a surprisingly quick speed.

His head whipping back towards Cyborg, he let out a groan when he realized that the half-robot hadn't yet evacuated the entire street.

"A little help here, maybe?" Raven mused flatly, before joining the barrels in the air as she evaded the monster.

Racking his brain for anything remotely useful, Beast Boy morphed into a hummingbird to join his teammate in the air.

The most surefire way to knock the creature unconscious was already ruled-out, since Raven had made a point about draining herself. Using a combination of Cyborg's sonic cannon, Starfire's starbolts, and Robin's explosive birdarangs was also not an option, seeing how the robot was preoccupied, and the latter two were several miles away.

Combining powers with Raven was also a no-go, since the empath was currently using most of her energy to (wisely) keep the chemical-filled barrels out of the villain's grasp.

Feeling his frustration getting the better of him, Beast Boy shifted into a pterodactyl and dove towards the monster, fully intent on dive-bombing the creature until he tired it out.

But as he descended, another thought struck him: Raven used her soul-self to slip into the center of Plasmus, before releasing her power and splattering the villain into unconsciousness. Perhaps he could do something similar?

His mind made up, Beast Boy squeezed his eyes shut as his beak entered the goo.

 _Video games with the guys, movie night with Starfire, making Raven laugh..._

Fairly certain he was in the center of the monster, Beast Boy suddenly shifted into a blue whale, leaving a sizable crater in his wake as he landed on the road. His brain bouncing within his skull, it took several moments for the changeling to gather himself.

"Did that... work?" a raspy voice asked from above him.

Slowing peeking open one eye, Beast Boy watched as Raven gently landed beside him, her brows furrowed ever so slightly. His assault had successfully sent slime flying out in all directions, and it seemed the empath was not spared as she absently brushed the goo off of her shoulder.

Finding it rather difficult to shrug in whale form, the changeling morphed back into his human self, only to find an unconscious man lying beneath him.

"I don't know, Rae - did it?" he answered smugly, pushing himself off of the man and onto his feet.

Raven continued to stare at him in awe - or, at least, her equivalent of it, seeing how her expression was primarily blank. But there was a glimmer in her eyes; something that looked vaguely like admiration. Or so he hoped, anyway.

Puffing his chest out in pride, Beast Boy ignored the frenzied butterflies that attacked his stomach as he gave his teammate a toothy grin. "I'm not totally useless, you know!"

Still, Raven had yet to say anything, and instead cocked her head to the side inquisitively.

Noticeably squirming under her intense gaze, Beast Boy began to chuckle nervously. "What, do I have something on my face?" he joked, obviously aware of the copious amounts of sludge he was covered in.

Again, his heart nearly stopped as Raven's lips quirked upwards, before the empath shook her head dismissively. "We should probably touch base with the others," she announced, effectively changing the subject whilst evading giving the changeling any praise.

Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from scowling as his teammate turned away from him, her footsteps leading in the direction of Cyborg. The robot was surveying the scene before him with a mixture of surprise and confusion, before locking eyes with the shapeshifter.

"Damn, what y'all do? Set off a bomb?"

His scowl morphing back into a self-satisfied smirk, Beast Boy bounced towards his teammate. "Nah, just improvised," he mused nonchalantly, before remembering the unconscious man behind him. "Oh, better get sleepyhead back in solitary confinement!"

Lifting the villain from the slight crater, Beast Boy hurriedly handed him off to an officer, before watching as they loaded the man into an armored van. He couldn't help but feel slightly proud of himself; he had basically defeated their foe on his own, and with Raven as a witness. If she didn't already have the hots for him, he was certain she would now. Like, how could she _not_ find his quick-thinking absolutely sexy? That had to have been one of the smartest impulses he had ever had! Raven was probably avoiding him to mask her sudden, undeniable attraction to him -

"Rob's not gonna be thrilled with the property damaged," Cyborg stated suddenly, causing the changeling to nearly jump out of his skin.

His cheeks burning, Beast Boy whipped around to face his teammate as his mind scrambled for a reply. "Huh?"

If Cyborg noticed his flustered appearance, he made no comment on it. "The bus-sized pothole and the uprooted streetlamps," he elaborated smugly. "You lovebirds really went to town on this guy."

His face only getting redder, Beast Boy suppressed a growl. "Yeah, well, you weren't really much help, you know." He made a move to walk away, before thinking better of it. "And I'm sure Raven won't appreciate your new nickname for us," he added as an after thought.

But Cyborg simply laughed, the usually-welcomed sound only grating on Beast Boy's nerves. "Is that so?" he mused playfully, his human eye bright with mirth. "'Cuz if I'm remembering correctly, it seemed _you_ were the only one bothered by that article this morning. Raven seemed totally fine with it."

Beast Boy attempted to roll his eyes, but only succeeded in sparing a quick glance towards the empath several yards away. Her back was facing him, though he could hear the sound of her voice as she relayed their attack to their leader.

"In fact," Cyborg continued, seemingly unaware of the changeling's wandering attention, "she seemed _more_ than fine with it."

Again, Beast Boy tried to look annoyed, but he couldn't deny his budding curiosity. "Uh huh, sure," he muttered, before giving his teammate a pointed look. "Just drop it, Cy."

But Cyborg was relentless. "Maybe Rae-Rae's got a little _crush_ on you."

His blush resurfacing with a vengeance, Beast Boy scowled. "Dude. Not funny."

And it _wasn't_ funny. The changeling knew all too well that that way of thinking would only supply him with false hope. Yeah, joking to _himself_ that Raven liked him like that was fine and dandy, but hearing it from someone _else_? It only cemented the fact of how _unlikely_ something like that would be. Raven was beautiful and stoic and strong and _so not_ into Beast Boy. Pretending otherwise was cruel.

"Nah man, I think it's _hilarious!_ " Cyborg teased, his voice lowering to a whisper as he glanced over his shoulder at the empath. "Think of the absolute irony! Quiet, serious Raven, falling for the wittle green bean! If that ain't a good plot-twist, I don't know what is!"

His stomach tumbling over itself, Beast Boy shook his head. "This isn't a _movie_ , Tin-Man," he stated flatly, also lowering his voice. "And me and Raven would _never_ happen - not in a million years!"

Still, Cyborg was like a shark. Once he smelled blood - or rather, _blackmail_ \- he wouldn't let it go. "Come on, BB. Don't act like you never _thought_ about it," he taunted, his eyebrow wiggling suggestively.

Beast Boy could feel the color drain from his face, though he did his best to look unaffected. "Can't say I have."

But Cyborg only grinned. "Raven's got a little something-something going on - "

The changeling nearly rolled his eyes at the colossal understatement.

" - and I'm sure you've noticed. You don't gotta act all coy!"

Beast Boy continued to regard his teammate blankly, despite the way his insides twisted. The thought of Raven returning his feelings - _attraction_ \- was a pleasant one, in and of itself. But the reality of it... Well, it _wouldn't_ be reality. Staying aware of that fact was the intelligent thing to do.

"Raven's beautiful," Beast Boy relented, but before Cyborg could jump in with an ' _I told you so!_ ', he quickly added, "But so is Starfire. And Bumblebee. And Kole and Argent and _hell_ , even _Jinx_ is cute. Pretty much _every_ heroine has her looks going for her."

Cyborg frowned at the shapeshifter's point, though the teasing gleam was still in his eye. "Alright, fair enough," he agreed, before a devilish grin took over his features once more. "But that doesn't change the fact that the _beautiful_ Raven - "

"The _what_ Raven?"

Cyborg's face fell comically as his words instantly died in his throat, while Beast Boy felt as if his heart was going to burst right out of his chest.

Standing behind the half-robot, with a frown on her lips and her hands on her hips, was none other than Raven.

"Uh, hey there, Raven," Cyborg smiled, his composure slowly returning as he turned himself around to face the empath. Beast Boy continued to stare at the scene before him, his heart racing. How much had Raven _heard?_

"What did I just walk into?" the half-demon queried, her eyes slowly moving between the two heroes.

Beast Boy wasn't sure if he still had a voice.

"I'm just giving BB here a hard time," Cyborg answered truthfully, his initial shock at the empath's appearance quickly fading. "Your guys's scandalous affair is the talk of the town!"

Never had the changeling felt such a strong urge to _kill_ his best friend.

Luckily, Raven seemed to be on a similar wavelength as she sent the robot a fierce glare. "Teasing us at home is one thing, but in _public?_ " she hissed, her eyes flickering with dark energy as she took a small step towards Cyborg. "You must be some special kind of _dense_ if you're going to _actively_ fuel these kind of rumors."

Beast Boy could practically _see_ the amusement drain from the half-robot's features. "Hey, it's not _that_ big of a - "

"Do you remember the way Robin and Starfire were _hounded_ by the paparazzi?" Raven continued, effectively silencing their teammate as she took a small step towards him. "How they could barely even work a _mission_ together without some starry-eyed reporter jumping into harm's way? Everyone wanted an inside-scoop of Jump City's newest couple. And that was _before_ either of them had even gone _public_."

Beast Boy watched as Cyborg visibly deflated at the empath's scolding. "Nobody's around to hear - "

"Nobody was around when Beast Boy and I grabbed dinner last night," Raven bit back, her annoyance growing more apparent with every word. "Yet, somehow that article was written and published, with varying degrees of truth to it."

Again, the changeling felt as if his heart was either going to break his ribs or stop completely. Raven defending him was rare enough, but her defending him against _Cyborg?_ Her surrogate _brother?_ That was new.

And kinda hot.

"BB know's I'm kidding - " But Cyborg could barely even get a word in, for Raven was never one to hold back her rage completely.

"But does anyone _else?_ " she snapped, before pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a labored sigh. "Now is not the time for teasing," she reiterated flatly. "And I know for a fact that _I_ don't appreciate these jokes at my expense, and I doubt Beast Boy does, either."

Raven finally graced the shapeshifter with a glance, and though it took him a moment to find his voice, he hurriedly agreed. "Yeah, no. Not funny, Cy."

Like a dog with his tail tucked between his legs, Cyborg threw his hands in the air and retreated, grumbling under his breath. "Y'all can't even take a _joke_."

Beast Boy watched as their teammate reached the T-car, before jumping in and peeling out, effectively leaving the two of them downtown (though, with the amount of gunk they were covered in, Beast Boy doubted they would have gotten a ride, anyway).

Still, the changeling felt kinda bad for his friend. He himself had been on the receiving end of a verbal-lashing from Raven countless times, and he knew with absolute certainty how much it stung.

"Your stunt back there, with the whale," Raven began suddenly, causing Beast Boy to jump at the softness in her voice, "It was... impressive."

He could feel his eyes widen in surprise as he absorbed the empath's words. "Oh, uh... thanks..." he responded sheepishly, suddenly unable to meet her gaze.

Again, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards ever so slightly, before she rose from the ground and flew towards the direction of the tower. Beast Boy watched her leave from the corner of his eye, feeling a genuine smile spread across his face.

No, being lectured by the empath was no fun at all - but being _praised?_ That was something he could get used to.

* * *

It seemed Cyborg held no ill-will towards the two of them as the team readied themselves for movie night. The half-robot was happily busying himself in the kitchen, joking with Starfire while simultaneously preparing the many bowls of popcorn that the titans would undoubtedly go through. Raven was beside them, absently nodding along as she brewed her tea with one hand and used her powers to pour sodas with the other. They were all like a well-oiled machine, and Beast Boy couldn't help but feel a small sense of pride at their efficiency.

"So, Starfire really wants to watch a romantic comedy," Robin mused, effectively releasing Beast Boy from his idle observation of the others.

Blinking away his confusion, the changeling gave his leader a blank look as he slowly processed his words. "And?"

But Robin only smirked, before lightly shaking his head. " _And_ ," he continued, his amusement apparent in his voice, "I am one hundred percent on-board with the three of you outvoting us."

It took a moment for Beast Boy to decipher the masked titan's statement, but once he did, a large grin encompassed his face. "Oh, _right_ ," he agreed, his eyes scanning the many choices laid out before them. "I think Rae and Cyborg would be down for a thriller," he suggested loftily.

Robin merely returned his grin, before sliding a thriller of his choice towards the shapeshifter. "This one's pretty good. Has a crazy twist at the end."

Beast Boy nodded, feeling his heart-rate pick up ever so slightly at his leader's choice of words. _'If that ain't a good plot-twist, I don't know what is!'_ Cyborg's voice repeated in his head. Quickly shaking away that thought, Beast Boy looked over his shoulder at his other teammates.

Starfire and Cyborg were still in the kitchen, taking their time as they put the finishing touches on the popcorn. But Raven was already halfway to the couch, the teams' drinks floating behind her as she took a sip from her tea. And, for a split second, her violet eyes met Beast Boy's gaze, before the green titan hurriedly looked away.

Raven feeling anything other than tolerance towards Beast Boy would be a plot-twist all on its own; but her harboring a _crush_ on him? That would be absolutely _crazy_.

 _'I've been called worse.'_

Shaking away his teammate's earlier sentiment, Beast Boy spared another glance at the half-demon, who was now seated in her usual spot on the couch. She lazily crossed her legs, wearing a typical, bored expression, before pursing her lips as she blew across the surface of her tea.

Again, Beast Boy couldn't help but watch the action, his mind dredging up images and thoughts that were best kept to himself. He attempted to keep his composure by counting to three, but a part of him almost _wanted_ the empath to sense his desire; to maybe realize the kind of hold she had over him. 'Cuz, if she felt even an _inkling_ of what he felt for her...

Mentally slapping himself across the face, Beast Boy tore his eyes away from his teammate. What he _felt_ for Raven was nothing more than friendship. Companionship. Kin - er, okay, probably _not_ kinship, but only 'cuz he didn't need any _other_ reason to feel weird about being attracted to her.

No, Raven was _just_ Beast Boy's friend. His sexy, scary, possibly _crazy_ friend. And whether or not she was giving him signs and hints like his treacherous brain suggested, he wasn't going to do anything to compromise that friendship.

Unless, of course, _she_ admitted to liking him or something. Then maybe he'd reconsider his stance.

* * *

 **Again, a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I appreciate each and every one of you! Feel free to keep it up ;)**

 **Also, please feel free to follow/favorite! The support this story is getting is mind-boggling, and you all have no idea how much it means to me!**


	6. Ding

Staring intently at his reflection, Beast Boy was fairly certain of one thing: he kinda liked how he looked.

His smile - crooked, but charming. His eyes - bright and dazzling. His body - a little on the lanky side, but toned. And yeah, the whole 'green' thing was a little unorthodox, but he made it work. He was a superhero, after all - and superheros weren't known for being _normal_.

And did he even mention his ears? Total. Chick. Magnets.

So yeah, Beast Boy wasn't exactly hating on himself in any way. And neither were the ladies; anytime the Titans had a more _risque_ charity event (kissing booths, date-auctions, and the occasional scantily-clad dunk tanks), all of the changeling's die-hard fans would come out of the woodwork to support him. Hell, aside from Aqualad, Beast Boy was probably the most sought-after single on the team. His kissing booth lines were endless, and the bids for a date with him were some of the highest Jump City had ever seen. He was a lean, green, loving machine!

Buuuuut Raven was still totally out of his league.

It made sense, though. Beast Boy was cute and approachable and easy to talk to. Raven, on the other hand? Mysterious. Beautiful. Other-worldly. And yeah, he was quite aware of the pedestal he placed her on, but she _did_ live up to his expectations. After all, he'd known the girl since she was fifteen, and she had yet to prove him wrong.

Well, at least when it came to how utterly infatuating he found her. Otherwise, she tended to always be right during their many arguments (and boy, were there _many_ ).

But beside all that, Beast Boy knew that the empath was untouchable. And he had come to terms with that about ten minutes after meeting her. So what if she was being more open and starting conversations and sparing him an extra glance or two during training? She had defeated her father nearly four years ago, and despite taking her sweet time, she had slowly began to emerge from her shell. Maybe this was how she showed affection to her close friends?

Beast Boy was just seeing what he wanted to see, and there was no way in hell he'd ever assume that _Raven_ was interested. She would have to make it abundantly clear to him. Like... asking him on a date.

An _actual_ date; not that weird training session with Robin. Something like... getting dinner. But, well, not like the dinner they had a few nights ago. That was totally a platonic, team-building thing. No, she'd have to ask him on a _date_ to _get_ dinner.

Frowning at his copy in the mirror, Beast Boy resisted the urge to smack his head against the glass. This whole _Raven_ thing was making it harder than usual to think - truly a new feat for him, believe it or not.

His chest heaving with a sigh, he turned himself away from his reflection and snatched his shirt from the bathroom counter. Saturdays were the only day Robin allowed the titans to sleep in, but thanks to his mind racing with the events from the day prior, the shapeshifter found himself awake at nearly ten in the morning - an unfathomable thought. He considered _noon_ too early.

But his brain didn't care, it seemed, for it would just _not_ stop thinking about his teammate. Replaying what she had said, re-imagining the way she had looked at him, painting pictures that were better left buried in the depths of his dirty mind.

Shaking his head, Beast Boy mentally scolded himself. He was getting too worked up over nothing, and had already had _one_ cold shower this morning - there was no need for another. Raven wasn't acting all that unusual, and he needed to stop reading into things. Slipping his shirt over his head, he took one last critical look in the mirror, before exiting the bathroom. The rest of the team wouldn't expect him for another few hours, so he figured he had some time to himself. He could read a comic, or get in some extra training. He could even pop up on the roof and relax a bit; enjoy the crisp, summer air. Anything to distract himself from the butterflies in his stomach and growing problem in his pants.

But as he turned in the direction of the stairs, he found that the universe was possibly out to get him.

He smelt her a millisecond before he saw her; the scent of lavender and herbs invading his nostrils and momentarily whisking him back to his daydreams. And he saw her a millisecond before crashing into her; she was dressed in civvies with a book bag slung over her shoulder - a sight he would usually gawk at.

And though he often coveted the feeling of her body against his, the force in which they walked into each other with wasn't exactly _ideal_.

"Ugh, _watch it_ , Beast Boy!"

Ah, the sound of her anger. Music to his ears.

They had successfully avoided knocking each other over, though the feeling of Raven's forehead colliding with the bridge of Beast Boy's nose wasn't much of an improvement (although, a part of him _was_ thrilled by their noticeable height-difference, but that was beside the point).

Rubbing his nose gingerly, the changeling sent his teammate an innocent smile as he regained his balance. "Ah, my bad. Sorry, Rae."

He watched as she simultaneously rubbed her forehead and readjusted the bag on her shoulder, all the while sending him an oddly-welcomed glare. "So much for your 'enhanced senses'," she deadpanned, before lifting her hand and lightly flicking the shapeshifter's ear. "Are these just for show?"

His face flushing at the unexpected contact, Beast Boy took a small step backwards as he processed her statement. The words were biting, and said with her usual mixture of indifference and disdain. But the ear flick? That was uncharacteristically playful, bordering on outright _flirtatious_. And if Beast Boy was ever one hundred and ten percent certain of something, it would be this: _Raven doesn't flirt_.

"I was just..." _distracted?_ He wasn't sure how to respond, for his brain was drawing a blank. His eyes weren't helping the matter, either, as they curiously darted over her outfit. She was dressed in a pair of dark-wash denim shorts, with a black tank top and a dark grey hoodie. Bland, nondescript colors; something the empath could easily hide behind if the need arose.

"Are you going somewhere?" He hadn't meant to ask the question out loud - he knew the half-demon valued her privacy.

Luckily, it seemed Raven was in a sharing mood. "Just for a few hours," she replied nonchalantly, before giving the changeling an inquisitive once-over of her own. "Are _you?_ You've actually showered on your own accord, for once."

Beast Boy could only roll his eyes - he had been practicing proper hygiene for three years now, thank you very much. "Well, I wasn't, but now I'm thinking about it," he answered honestly, choosing to ignore her jab in favor of answering her question. "It's weird being up so early. Where are you going?"

Raven cocked her head to the side, though her passive expression remained. "It's not early. It's nearly ten thirty."

But Beast Boy merely waved away her correction. "Early for me," he amended. "Where are you going?"

Still, the empath's face was unchanged. "Out," she answered simply.

Beast Boy bit back a scoff. "Uh, yeah, I gathered that much... _Where?_ "

He could have sworn the corner of her mouth twitched.

"Out to lunch," she elaborated. He then watched as she pulled out her personal communicator, before giving it a disdainful glare. "And I'm late."

Beast Boy attempted to catch a glimpse of her screen, but was unsuccessful as the half-demon shoved the device back into her pocket. And though his curiosity of _where_ was still prodding at his skull, more pressing matters were now at hand. Cyborg had designed a second communicator for all of the titans' more personal use; like a superhero's version of a cellphone. Something the titans could be reached on for social reasons.

Something Beast Boy never realized Raven had much use for.

"Isn't it more like brunch?" he mused, before mentally slapping himself across the face. That _hadn't_ been the question he wanted to ask. No, there was something even _more_ pressing. So, as Raven opened her mouth to retort, he quickly cut her off with the proper question. "Are you meeting somebody?" he blurted. Why else would she be 'late'? Raven wasn't one for early-bird specials at any old Mom and Pop Cafe, but she _did_ value punctuality over all else.

Oh, and quiet. She _definitely_ valued the quiet.

Her eyebrow arched ever so slightly as she regarded the changeling, and again, it looked as if she were holding back a smirk. "I am," she replied, her bored tone doing nothing to quench his interest.

"Who?" He really needed to learn impulse control.

Beast Boy's heart rate jumped at the sight of Raven's brief smile, though he wasn't sure if his rapid pulse was from excitement or fear. Why was she smiling? Was she thinking about the person she was meeting? Did she ever smile like that while thinking of the shapeshifter?

Though, before she could answer what was probably the most pressing question of all, Beast Boy blurted out another. "Have they been screened by Robin?"

The boy wonder was a stickler for security, and had issued mandatory background checks on any and all civilians that the titans interacted with. It was a long, tedious process, and Beast Boy had yet to make a friend (or meet a potential date) that seemed worth it.

"Robin screened him forever ago. He's clear."

Now, Beast Boy was fortunate enough to have never been stabbed in the chest during combat, but the sudden, sharp pain he felt in his heart was probably as close as he was going to get (at least, for the time being - a hero's life was risky).

"H-he?"

He hadn't meant to stumble over the word, but her nonchalance was throwing him off balance. He had always thought that Raven would be the _last_ person to find someone (let alone, a _guy_ ) she deemed worthy of a background check. She had always claimed that the titans were all the friends she needed, and that any more would drive her insane.

Instead, _Beast Boy_ was the one going crazy.

"You've met him before," Raven offered, though that did nothing to ease his panic.

Since when did _Raven_ socialize? And go out to _lunch_ (ahem, _brunch_ , technically)? And talk to other _guys?_ And - _wait._ Did Raven say that he had _met_ him?

"I have?" His pulse was thankfully returning to normal as he racked his brain. When had Raven introduced him to a _guy?_ He would have totally remembered something like that.

Raven let out an exasperated sigh. "You're hopeless," she muttered, shaking her head.

But Beast Boy wasn't satisfied. "I don't remember ever meeting some _boyfriend_ of yours," he reasoned, flinching slightly at the venom in his voice, and hoping Raven wouldn't notice and/or care.

Instead, she seemed rather amused by his assumption. "Probably due to the fact that I've never _had_ some 'boyfriend' for you to meet," she bit back with a smirk.

Beast Boy decided to ignore the feeling of relief her words caused him, and merely allowed himself a sheepish grin. "Well, I still don't know who you're talking about," he admitted with a shrug.

Again, Raven sighed. "That isn't surprising in the slightest." She then made a move to walk past him, though the changeling quickly blocked her path.

"Yeah, well, where are you going?" he questioned innocently.

The empath sent him a fleeting glare as she attempted to go around him. "Why does it matter?"

But again, Beast Boy blocked her. "It doesn't," he answered casually. "But you should still tell me."

At that, Raven scowled. "And _why_ should I do that?" she questioned sharply, abandoning her escape as she folded her arms across her chest.

Beast Boy tried not to look smug as he silently admired how easy it was for him to rile her up - the most pointless skill he possessed, but one he was nonetheless proud of. "Because I'm curious," he mused, before shrugging once again.

Still, Raven wasn't giving him anything to work with. "That's not a good enough reason," she replied pointedly. "Now, I'd appreciate it if you'd let me pass. As I've already _told_ you, I'm _late_."

Deciding that pissing her off _too_ much wouldn't be wise this early in the morning, Beast Boy allowed her to move past him (before following after her, naturally).

"You never let yourself be late," he commented hesitantly, his eyes scanning her for any sign of violence.

"My morning meditation was longer than anticipated," she replied, seemingly unbothered by his continued presence as they made their way towards the elevator.

Beast Boy nodded in understanding. "Ah," he breathed, before feeling the need to push his luck a little further. "Nervous?" he guessed.

He watched as she stiffened slightly, her face forcibly blank as she regarded him from the corner of her eye. "What would I have to be nervous about?"

His confidence somehow simultaneously growing _and_ faltering, Beast Boy gave his teammate a sheepish grin. "I don't know... Maybe this, uh, _friend_ of yours makes you nervous?"

If he didn't know any better, he'd have called the strangled noise the empath made a _laugh_. "Ugh, not at _all_ ," she scoffed.

Again, Beast Boy told himself that it wasn't _relief_ he was feeling as he watched his teammate press the elevator's 'down' button. "Well, you've been meditating a lot more than usual," he continued, his eyes tracing over her profile as she stared at the elevator doors. "I just figured - "

"That I'm nervous about something?" she finished dully, arching her brow as she gave him a sideways glance.

Again, Beast Boy shrugged.

"Because I'm _not_ ," Raven insisted, her sentence punctuated by the _ding_ of the elevator. Beast Boy followed her into the small compartment, somewhat surprised that she hadn't yet asked him to leave. "I've just had... a lot on my mind recently," she continued, before pressing the button for the garage.

The changeling would be lying if he said his curiosity wasn't piqued. "Like what?"

He'd _also_ be lying if he said what came next _didn't_ surprise him.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized we were playing twenty-questions," Raven snapped suddenly, her face turning a light shade of pink. "Is it _my_ turn yet?"

Beast Boy held his hands up in surrender, but was unable to apologize as the empath began to talk over him.

"Why are you up so early? Why do you feel the need to follow me? Why are _you_ feeling so nervous?"

He could feel his stomach drop at her last question, and he mentally cursed himself for not hiding his emotions as thoroughly as usual. "Hey now, I'm _not_ \- "

"You're not _what_ , Beast Boy?" Raven growled, her face growing redder as she took a small step towards him. "You're not _following_ me, or you're not feeling _nervous?_ Because I'm not stupid, and it's clear to me that you're doing _both._ Tell me, what do you find so utterly _fascinating_ about me that you _can't_ just leave me alone?"

Again, he tried to defend himself, but the moment he opened his mouth, she cut him off.

"I know you get off on annoying me, but it's _really_ getting old, and I can promise you that whatever sick satisfaction you get from this will _so_ not be worth the excruciating pain that I can cause to you with the snap of my fingers," she continued, her face only inches from his as she backed him into a literal corner.

But despite her threats and obvious anger, Beast Boy couldn't help but enjoy their proximity, and reluctantly agreed with her deduction; pissing her off was his favorite pastime, and he was _damn_ good at it.

Though, the mixture of fear and excitement that pooled in his stomach was enough to bring him back to reality, and he mentally counted to three to keep himself in check. Otherwise, he wasn't sure what he'd do; the feeling of her breath ghosting against his lips was threatening to push him over the edge, and he was scared of what would happen if he didn't suppress his emotions.

"Uh... sorry?" he squeaked, his eyes wildly darting between hers as he tried not to focus on how easily he could just lean forward and -

Raven jerked away suddenly, as if she, too, realized how close they were. And though her cheeks remained bright red, a stoic expression slowly encompassed her features as she turned to face the elevator doors.

"I'm meeting a friend for lunch at that cafe across from the pizza place," she answered, her gravelly voice as level as ever. "You can tag along, if you want to."

Once again, the end of her sentence timed up perfectly with the _ding_ of the elevator, and Beast Boy's jaw dropped in confusion as he watched his teammate step into the garage.

"Wait... _what?_ "

But Raven continued to seem unbothered by his presence as she walked towards the T-car. "Cyborg's letting me borrow his 'baby' today, seeing how I'll be stopping by the grocery store after lunch," she explained, giving him a bored glance from over her shoulder. "I wouldn't mind the company while shopping."

Still, Beast Boy was unable to process her words as he slowly exited the elevator. Wasn't she threatening him bodily harm not even ten seconds earlier? "You're... You wouldn't... _What?_ "

"I guess it _is_ more like brunch," she continued, a small smirk parting her lips as she opened the car door. "I'm sure they'll have plenty of vegan options at the cafe. Though it _is_ one of those pretentious, alternative places that you hate so much."

Beast Boy felt as if he were on autopilot as he opened the passenger door, his mind attempting to connect the past few minutes with the present. Teasing, anger... invite to lunch? He knew Raven was a bit unpredictable, but this was beyond his understanding, and he was coming up with nothing as he sunk into the seat.

He watched Raven casually adjust the mirrors as the vehicle roared to life. "My treat," she continued, sparing the changeling a quick glance as he buckled himself in. "As an apology for snapping at you. I've been on edge lately, hence the extra meditation."

Beast Boy nodded hesitantly, still unsure of what was going on. He was used to Raven snapping at him - and it was often well-deserved. But this whole 'apology-brunch' thing she was doing... _that_ was new.

"Honestly Rae, I _do_ push your buttons," he admitted sheepishly, feeling his own face grow hot as he briefly made eye-contact with her. "And I kinda _was_ trying to get under your skin a bit... So, well, I guess _I_ should probably be the one treating _you_ to... uh, brunch?"

Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from physically cringing as the words left his mouth. _Ugh_ , why did it feel like he was asking her on a _date?_ The last thing he needed was for her to connect the dots.

Luckily, she merely smirked at his suggestion. "Maybe next time," she replied simply, before pressing the button for the garage door.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay! Life kinda creeps up on you, you know? Lol**

 **Again, a _huge_ thank you to everyone who has reviewed/faved/followed! I know I say that every time, but it really does mean the world to me! And I hope that all of you will continue to enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it! **

**Also, I have some ideas floating around for a few more stories, so keep your eyes peeled! The one I'm toying with right now will definitely be rated M, so if you're into that kind of thing, stay tuned! And if that's not your cup of tea, I do have a few fluffy one-shots in the works!**


	7. Dove

Frowning, Beast Boy could only glare at the guy sat across from him as he pretended to drink his soy latte. He vaguely remembered meeting him maybe a year ago; fleetingly shaking his hand during one of the team's meet-and-greets, before moving on to his own adoring fans. Though, Raven insisted they had first met the same night they all went out with Blackfire, but he wasn't convinced. Despite that having been ages ago, he would have _remembered_ seeing some guy hit on Raven.

Of course, she had claimed that their first meeting was entirely platonic, as was every meeting since. A claim that the goth boy seemed irritated by. _Ha_. Looks like the changeling wasn't the _only_ guy fruitlessly pining after the empath.

Although, that thought wasn't very comforting. Knowing Raven was desired by others probably made things worse for the shapeshifter, really. His possessive instincts were already a pain to keep in check - he didn't need any perceived competition. And the way this guy blatantly ogled the half-demon? He was surprised he could suppress his emotions, let alone the growl that kept bubbling up in his throat any time the goth guy's gaze lingered.

At least his teammate was blissfully unaware.

Beast Boy felt his eyes narrow as the dude casually leaned towards Raven, pointing to something she was reading.

"That's the part I'm struggling with," he announced in a bored, impossibly flat tone, as if talking was beneath him. As if he wasn't allowed to feel happiness. As if he understood Raven's plight. _Poser_. "It doesn't feel natural to me. Like I'm forcing it."

The changeling rolled his eyes. "Well, you _are_ , aren't you?" he pointed out bluntly. "You're the one _writing_ it. It's _your_ play, dude."

Goth Boy merely returned the shapeshifter's glare, before his overly-lined eyes fell back towards Raven. "My characters can't just _do_ things because I decide I want them to. It has to feel natural."

"Because randomly bursting into song is _so_ 'natural'," Beast Boy muttered under his breath, before directing his attention to the empath.

It seemed his teammate had ignored her companions' little tiff, and was instead focusing on the section her friend had pointed to. "Maybe you could add more of her backstory into the previous scene?" she suggested lightly, somehow taking the whole situation seriously. "So that the, um... the _song_ isn't so disconnected." Or, at least, _somewhat_ seriously.

Goth Boy (Beast Boy _refused_ to remember his name) nodded in reply. "Genius. Simply genius."

Again, Beast Boy rolled his eyes at the forced lack of enthusiasm. Why would someone willingly _choose_ to sound and act so miserable all the time? At least Raven had the whole 'not-wanting-to-blow-things-up' excuse. But this kid? _Ugh_. He was way too into this 'aesthetic'.

The ringing of a cellphone pulled the shapeshifter from his thoughts, and he watched absently as their guest checked his lock screen.

"Will you excuse me?" he began, his flat, stupid, boring voice directing the question towards Raven. "I need to take this."

The half-demon nodded, her eyes still scanning over Goth Boy's rough draft. Beast Boy watched as the dark-haired guy stood from the table, before making his way towards the exit and stepping outside. Satisfied that they would be alone for a bit, the changeling let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

"Man, this is so freaking _boring_ ," he groaned, his eyes darting back towards his teammate.

Raven smirked in reply as she continued to proof-read. "You chose to tag along."

Another groan escaped Beast Boy. "'Cuz I thought we were gonna get _food_ ," he reasoned, before gesturing towards the three beverages on their table. "This isn't lunch _or_ brunch. This is getting _coffee!_ "

Raven's eyes momentarily met his as she picked up her drink. "This is tea," she corrected plainly, before taking a slow, lingering sip.

For a moment, Beast Boy was lost in watching the action, his eyes glued to her lips. Though, he was able to come back to his senses as he shook his head.

" _Whatever_ ," he remarked, before his attention fell upon the stapled papers in the empath's hand. Chancing another glance towards Goth Boy, he was relieved to see the dude fully enraptured by his phone call. _Perfect_.

Snatching the packet from the empath, he ignored the glare she sent him. "The fuck _is_ this?" he mused instead, skimming through the text. "What time period is this? The twenties?"

He could see Raven shrug from the corner of his eye. "A modern twist on the era, I believe," she answered, before taking another sip of her beverage.

Beast Boy's eyebrows furrowed as he continued reading. "So the main dude is some kinda starving artist? Who just so happens to have the voice of an angel? And is conveniently handsome and charming and totally in love with this..." But as his eyes skimmed over the next sentence, he felt them widen in disbelief. " _Holy shit_ , you have _got_ to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, finding himself unable to hold back his amusement as a bout of laughter escaped him. "H-her, her name is..." he continued, attempting to contain his mirth as he wiped away a tear. "Her name is _Dove?_ "

Raven regarded him blankly, though he could see her lips twitch slightly as she fought back a smirk. "It's unique," she offered simply.

Another chuckle escaped the changeling as his eyes danced over the page. "'Dove _enters from the left, her short,_ violet _hair bouncing with every step_ '," he read aloud, before sending Raven a knowing look.

Still, his teammate played dumb.

" _Dove_ ," he repeated, his smile unwavering. "You know, like, the _bird_."

Raven blinked in response.

"Come _on_ , Raven!" Beast Boy enthused, his grin ever-growing. "The guy's writing _fanfiction_ about the two of you!"

Again, it looked as if she were about to smile, though she hid herself behind her beverage once more. "I don't know what you're talking about," she mused, her voice laced with the tiniest hint of amusement.

Beast Boy could only stare at his teammate as his mind tried to wrap around the situation. Raven's longtime friend was living out his fantasies through a shitty, uninspired play, and the empath was merely standing by and watching it unfold. Feeling all too smug, the changeling tried not to broadcast his elation at how hopelessly friend-zoned Goth Boy was.

"You're such a _girl_ ," he remarked instead, allowing the tiniest bit of amusement to leak past his blockades. After all, it wasn't _weird_ to find the situation funny, was it?

Raven arched her eyebrow. "Really? Don't tell me you're just now noticing," she replied in her monotone. "I know I'm not one for dresses and makeup, but I was under the impression that my femininity was quite apparent."

Beast Boy could feel his face flush as he redirected his sights to the papers in his hands. He was quite aware that Raven was a female. _Painfully_ aware. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he tried to think of anything _other_ than Raven's femininity. Like, how shitty Goth Boy's play was.

"Right, well... um..." but words seemed to escape him as his eyes returned to her and his mind fell into the gutter. Even in her civilian attire, Raven was undeniably stunning. Her loose-fitting jacket still somehow hugged her curves, and the length of her shorts only emphasized her long, shapely legs. And, _fuck_ , the simple tank top she was wearing under her zip-up? It showed _cleavage!_ He rarely _ever_ saw Raven's cleavage, and it took every ounce of self-control he had not to _openly_ gawk at her. Though, the fleeting glances he took weren't much of an improvement.

"It's not about me."

Her voice was enough to pull the shapeshifter from his treacherous thoughts, and he quickly found himself blinking in confusion. "Huh?"

Again, the corner of her mouth twitched. "His play," she elaborated, absently gesturing to the papers in his hands. "I'm sure it was _originally_ about me, seeing how he's been writing it for years, and he _did_ , in fact, have a crush on me," she mused, seemingly unbothered by the knowledge. "But I made sure he knew that the feeling was not mutual, and he got over it quickly."

It was Beast Boy's turn to arch his brow disbelievingly. "You sure about that?" he teased, though a part of him was kinda in awe. How could somebody just... 'get over' Raven?

A small smile finally formed on the empath's lips, and the changeling felt his heart skip a beat. Sure, this Goth Boy was incredibly aggravating, but maybe he'd ask the dude for some advice on how to _not_ be completely enraptured by his captivating teammate.

"Fairly certain," said teammate replied as she delicately took the papers from Beast Boy's hands. "He _is_ on the phone with his girlfriend, after all," she added nonchalantly.

Beast Boy found himself sparing Raven's friend another glance, and it was then that he noticed the large, dopey smile the dude was wearing. "Huh," he breathed, finding the revelation rather welcomed. So Goth Boy _wasn't_ competition.

But at that thought, the changeling grimaced. _No one_ was competition, because there was _no reason_ to be _competing_. Raven was _just_ a friend.

A hot friend. In a low-cut tank top. That showed off her cleavage. _Ugh_ , he was staring again.

Tearing his eyes away from the empath's chest, he was relieved to find that her attention had returned to her friend's play.

"And even if it _was_ still about me," Raven began, apparently deciding that the topic needed to be discussed further, "it wouldn't matter in the slightest. This shitty play will _never_ be published."

Beast Boy stared at her for a moment, before a dopey smile of his own spread across his face.

* * *

"Five gallons? Really?"

Pretending to focus on the display of condiments before him, Beast Boy idly eavesdropped on his teammates' conversation.

" _She's trying to cut back_ ," came Robin's voice, slightly distorted by the communicator's speakers.

Raven snorted. " _Five gallons_ is 'cutting back'?" she deadpanned.

Beast Boy tried to disguise his laughter as a cough.

" _Everyone has their vices_ ," came Robin's curt reply, and the changeling could practically _hear_ his leader's scowl, " _And Star's just so happens to be yellow and calorie-free._ "

Chancing a quick peek at the empath, Beast Boy was delighted to see her genuinely smile - even if the smile wasn't directed at _him_.

" _Five gallons_ ," she repeated plainly, her smile unwavering as she locked eyes with the shapeshifter.

He felt himself return the expression, sharing her amused disbelief.

" _I'm hanging up_ ," Robin announced, his voice tinged with annoyance. " _Mustard, protein bars, soda. Bye_."

Beast Boy watched as the half-demon closed her communicator, before rolling her eyes dramatically as she slipped back into her stoic facade. His smile waned slightly, though it didn't disappear completely as he turned himself back towards the condiments.

"At least she stopped making smoothies with it," he pointed out with a shrug, before grabbing the largest container of mustard on the shelf.

He could have sworn Raven chuckled in response, though he elected to ignore it as he grabbed two more bottles. The empath was being uncharacteristically open with her emotions today, and Beast Boy didn't want to ruin it. A happy Raven was a rare and welcomed sight to behold, despite the fact that he was actively avoiding looking at her.

"Making _soup_ instead isn't much of an improvement," Raven replied loftily as Beast Boy placed the containers in the cart.

Again, the changeling shrugged. "Everyone has their vices," he mused, repeating their leader. "It's like you with your tea - "

"And you and your tofu," she interjected, before slowly pushing the cart down the aisle. "Speaking of which, are you running low?"

Beast Boy quickly jumped ahead of his teammate, before turning himself to face her as he hopped onto the front of the cart. "Nah, I'm good."

Raven's eyes narrowed as she attempted to keep all four wheels on the ground, the cart shifting from the changeling's added weight. "I'm pretty sure there are rules against this," she deadpanned, gesturing towards Beast Boy's position with a nod.

Again, the changeling only shrugged, feeling quite content as the empath continued to push the cart down the aisle. "Eh, what are they gonna do?"

He watched as Raven placed several jars of pickles into the basket with her powers. "Kick us out," she answered simply.

But Beast Boy merely waved off her concern. "They'd just kick _me_ out," he corrected. " _I'm_ the rule-breaker here."

His teammate gave him another pointed look as she carefully steered them into the next aisle. "I'd prefer _neither_ of us get kicked out," she explained dully. "There's no way in hell I'm buying five gallons of mustard _alone_."

Shaking his head fondly, Beast Boy let out a small, subdued chuckle. "I guess that's fair," he reasoned, before letting out a sigh and stepping off of the cart.

Raven smirked triumphantly, causing the changeling's stomach to flutter pleasantly, before common sense squashed down the feeling. _Butterflies_ were not a _platonic_ thing to feel, after all.

Doing his best to ignore her expression once more, Beast Boy directed his sights to the shelves beside him. Although, he couldn't quite focus on what he was looking at, for he somehow found himself walking alongside Raven, acutely aware of her body heat as their shoulders barely brushed.

"Well, this is where I become useless," Raven mused, apparently unbothered by their proximity as she slowed the cart to a stop.

Beast Boy spared her a sideways glance, praying that his heartbeat wasn't as loud as it felt. "Uh, how so?" he replied, his voice nearly cracking.

Luckily, Raven didn't seem to notice, and instead glared at the shelf behind him. "Cyborg told me to pick up some seasonings," she began, invading the changeling's bubble ever so slightly as she leaned towards the products he was blocking. "But, well, aside from knowing salt and pepper, I'm pretty hopeless."

Realization lit up the shapeshifter's face, along with a teasing grin. "Aw, _Raaae_ ," he cooed, finding that their proximity was less troubling when he was taunting her, "You're not _hopeless_."

She sent him another glare, before lightly smacking his shoulder. "Don't tease. _Help_."

Beast Boy continued to grin as glanced over his shoulder, his eyes scanning through the various spices displayed before them. "Well, garlic powder is kinda important," he began, gesturing towards the small container with a nod. "As is onion powder."

He had expected her to use her powers to pluck the products from the shelf - after all, that's what she had done with everything else. But, of course, nothing had gone how he expected these last few hours, and he instead found himself turning beet-red as his teammate merely reached over him, her slim fingers delicately wrapping around a container.

"This stuff?" she queried, still unbothered by how close they were as she held up the seasoning.

Beast Boy gulped nervously, his eyes crossing slightly as he glanced at the container. "Uh, that's, uh... that's g-garlic _salt_ ," he stuttered, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Despite being in the most aromatic aisle, all he could smell was the lavender of her shampoo and the mint toothpaste that lingered on her breath. There had to have been barely a foot between them.

Though, Raven seemed unconcerned with that fact, and instead furrowed her brows, giving the seasoning a disdainful look. "There's a difference?" she mused flatly, her violet eyes darting back to his.

Mentally scolding his stomach for fluttering _yet again_ , Beast Boy tried to rein in his nerves. "Yeah," he squeaked, before awkwardly clearing his throat. " _Ahem_ , um, yeah. There's, uh, there's a difference."

Raven nodded in reply, before leaning in once again as she replaced the garlic salt. "Like I said, I'm hopeless," she reiterated, her breath tickling his ear, before she took a small step backwards.

Breathing in a sigh of relief, Beast Boy hurriedly turned from his teammate and snatched up several random seasonings, before unceremoniously dumping them into their cart. "Right, well, you can't expect to be good at _everything_ ," he offered awkwardly, tugging the cart down the aisle.

Raven huffed in reply, following after him and reclaiming the handle. "Isn't this something that I _should_ be good at?" she countered, her frustration only apparent from the slight pouting of her bottom lip. "I'm a _woman_ , after all."

Again, Beast Boy silently cursed his teammate for reminding him of that fact, his eyes wandering down her form once more.

"I should at least make an effort to _learn_ , don't you think?" she continued, giving the changeling an expectant look.

His gaze snapping back up to her face, Beast Boy gave the half-demon a crooked smile. "Aw, how adorably domestic of you," he teased, hoping to dispel the awkwardness from moments earlier with the routine of their usual banter.

Raven's eyes narrowed ever so slightly - a welcomed sight, really. "Don't call me that," she warned, her usual monotone music to his ears.

Beast Boy continued to grin as they moved down the aisle, feeling rather chuffed at how easy it was to steer the conversation. "What, ' _domestic_ '?" he purred, finding her annoyance to be absolutely -

"' _Adorable_ '," she corrected bluntly.

His face burning, he immediately focused his attention ahead of them, practically giving himself whiplash in the process. Did he _really_ use that word? In reference to _Raven?_ And _out loud?_

His heart hammered against his ribs so forcefully that he legitimately feared something was going to break. "Heh, my bad," he offered weakly.

Thankfully, Raven only seemed annoyed by the term. "Kittens and puppies are ' _adorable_ '," she remarked with a scowl. He could hear several containers shake beside them, though it seemed her powers were mostly under control as she continued. "Baby birds, baby rabbits, _hell_ , even some _human_ babies are ' _adorable_ '." She paused for a moment, causing Beast Boy to chance a glance as his heart-rate returned to normal. She still looked irritated, although nothing had exploded. "But _I_ most certainly am _not_ 'adorable'." Well, nothing had exploded _yet_.

Though, her obvious dislike of the word only seemed to fuel the changeling as he mentally banished his embarrassment - an opportunity like this was too good to pass up, his nerves be damned. "I don't _know_ ," he singsonged, earning another glare from the empath as they turned down the next aisle. "Your denial of it is kind of... _adorable_."

He could feel himself blush slightly at his sort-of confession, although it was nothing compared to the _adorable_ blush that encompassed his teammate's entire face.

" _No_ ," she spat, her hands gripping the handle of the cart so tightly, her knuckles turned white. "That word is not allowed in reference to me. It is childish and condescending."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to retort, though it seemed the empath wasn't finished scolding him.

"' _Adorable_ ' is reserved for cats and monkeys and the laughter of children. It is reserved for happy endings and sappy words. It will _not_ be used to describe me. No exceptions. If you're going to continue to flirt with me, you need to expand your vocabulary."

But at that, Beast Boy felt himself freeze, and he could only watch in horror as his teammate nonchalantly continued down the aisle, leaving him dazed in her wake as his brain tried to make sense of what just happened.

* * *

 **Sorry for the delay! I was kind of busy writing other things, obviously ;P**

 **I'm thinking about starting a series full of random, disconnected one-shots! Let me know if you guys are interested in that!**

 **Oh, and also, please review! They are so very appreciated!**


	8. Denial

Beast Boy could only stare blankly at the groceries before him, his mind still reeling over Raven's comment. An unexpected comment. A comment that had literally stopped him in his tracks. A comment so offhanded and nonchalant, he wasn't sure if she had even actually said it. After all, he had a very active imagination, and dreaming up a scene like that wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for him. Though, if it _had_ been just a daydream, it would have ended with a witty remark from the changeling, followed by a heated make out session in the cereal aisle or something.

Instead, Beast Boy had just stood in place for a solid two minutes, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. Or, gasping because it _had_ air? And needed water? A fish gasping for water?

Okay, he wasn't able to think of a proper metaphor to properly convey the complete and utter bewilderment that the empath's comment had properly struck him with. Like, she had insinuated that he was _flirting_ with her, and then chastised _how_ he was _flirting_ with her - totally brushing off the fact that he was apparently _flirting_ with her and that she was apparently _fine_ with him _flirting_ with her.

He just needed to, what - step up his game? Like, serenade her or something?

Tearing his eyes from the bags splayed across the kitchen counter, Beast Boy zeroed in on his most mystifying teammate. She was sat on the common room couch, her legs folded neatly beneath her as she leisurely read her book. She hadn't really said much after the whole 'flirting' thing, aside from getting his opinion on what flavor of protein bar they should buy (brownie, all the way - everything else tasted like chalk), and whether or not he was a fan of pulp in his orange juice (he didn't mind it).

But she hadn't really attempted much of a conversation, unless you counted her poking fun at the cartoon vampire on his cereal box as one. Of course, his brain had been occupied with oozing out of his ears, making him rather useless when it came to the whole 'conversing' thing anyway, and she had pretty much given up by the time they got to the checkout. And then the ride home was even _quieter_ , since she never bothered to turn on the radio and Beast Boy was too nervous to ask her to.

Hell, he was too nervous to even _look_ at her; it had taken all of his concentration to keep his emotions subdued, and numbers one through three didn't even sound like _words_ anymore.

But he had finally calmed down - well, he was finally a bit _calmer_. His heart was still racing, his palms were kinda sweaty, and he couldn't remember what even _came_ after the number three because it was just immediately followed by him gasping for air before starting back at one, but other than that?

He was fine. All was good.

Raven shifted slightly in her spot, causing Beast Boy to rip his eyes from her as his face flushed furiously. Sure, she wasn't facing him, and seemed rather enraptured by her book, but he didn't want to chance another awkward moment. And her turning around to find him staring at her like some kind of creep was bound to be awkward.

Instead, he directed his attention to the groceries before him. Saturday nights were nothing special in the tower, meaning he had free reign of the kitchen. And cooking was always a good distraction, and he was in _desperate_ need of a good distraction.

Sifting through the bags, he began removing the fresh produce they had purchased, seeing how anything unwrapped would mysteriously turn blue and fuzzy if left in the fridge. Setting aside the sweet peppers and onions, he absently chewed on his bottom lip in thought. Fresh veggies always made for a good stir-fry, and if he coupled that with some tofu and noodles or something? He could make enough for everyone.

Although, Cyborg would obviously complain about the tofu, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to defend his favorite food's honor. Plus, he _was_ sure all of his teammates were tired of that age-old argument. But aside from the chrome-dome, he figured the others wouldn't mind some soybean-y goodness.

Sparing a glance towards the common room, Beast Boy felt his heart skip as his eyes immediately met Raven's. Though, in an odd turn of events, it was the _half-demon_ who hurriedly looked away, her head whipping back towards her book faster than he thought possible.

His stomach doing that stupid fluttery thing again, Beast Boy gave the groceries in front of him one last look, before a thoughtful smile parted his lips.

* * *

"You want me to... cook?"

Raven's cheeks were tinged a light pink color, though aside from the slight quirk of her brow, her expression was as stoic as ever.

Beast Boy could only grin down at his teammate, feeling giddier than what was probably warranted. "Yeah, why not?" he mused, his hands gently tugging the empath's book from her grasp. "You said you wanted to learn or whatever, didn't you?"

Surprisingly, she allowed him to take her novel, though she did quickly dog-ear her place. "I... guess I said that," she agreed hesitantly.

Beast Boy continued to grin as he tucked her book under his arm, before offering her his hand. "Sweet! This is gonna be super fun, Rae - I promise!" he enthused.

Again, Raven seemed wary as she cautiously placed her hand in his, allowing him to tug her to her feet. "If you say so..."

Dragging his teammate towards the kitchen, Beast Boy tried to ignore the fact that he was actively holding hands with the empath, and instead focused on his mission. It was no secret that neither of the female titans could cook (though, when it came to Starfire, they all grinned and bared it), so he knew that he was up for a challenge. Raven's skill set was comparable to that of a beginner.

Well, a beginner in arson, and possibly chemical warfare. But he could work with that.

Releasing his teammate's hand, he quickly pulled out the various pots and pans that they would need. He had taken the liberty of putting away the unnecessary groceries, so they were just left with their dinner essentials.

Sweet peppers, onions, broccoli, zucchini, and carrots sat to the right of the stove, while a sizable chunk of extra-firm tofu double-wrapped in paper towels sat to the left. Giving the book under his arm an inquisitive look, Beast Boy shrugged, before dropping it onto his tofu.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Raven snapped, reaching over the changeling in an attempt to grab her hardback novel.

But Beast Boy hurriedly blocked her. "We gotta use something heavy to press the tofu," he explained with a shrug.

Still, Raven seemed irritated. "I swear to Azar, Beast Boy - if my book ends up smelling like tofu..." she warned, giving the changeling a pointed look.

Again, he could only grin. "I'll buy you a new book," he offered, before gesturing towards the rest of their ingredients. Alongside the stove were various spices and seasonings. "Now, since you're _hopeless_ when it comes to _flavor_ ," he teased, earning an eye-roll from the half-demon, "I'm gonna give you a quick crash-course."

He watched as she eyed the containers warily, before her violet eyes shifted back to his.

"Now _this_ one here," he began dramatically, swiping the closest container and holding it between them, "is the ever elusive _garlic_ powder. I had mentioned it earlier, if you remember - "

She graced him with another eye-roll, though this one was accompanied by a small blush.

" - but, heh, uh... I digress," he continued sheepishly, his face also flushing (but only _slightly_ ) as he remembered how that conversation had eventually ended. Shaking away his nerves, he held the seasoning closer to his teammate. "Uh, yeah. Garlic powder. Three guesses on what it tastes like."

Raven's focus remained exclusively on Beast Boy, her eyes narrowing. "Garlic," she deadpanned, her voice laced with the tiniest hint of annoyance.

The changeling could feel his grin stretch across his face. "Very good!" he enthused, before patting her on the head with his free hand.

She immediately slapped it away.

Letting out a subdued chuckle, Beast Boy hurriedly replaced the garlic powder, before grabbing the red seasoning behind it. "Alrighty, Rae - _this_ here is _cayenne pepper_. Any idea on what _it_ tastes like?"

She continued to stare at him blankly, though he could see a small frown tug at her lips. "Cayenne..?" she answered eventually.

Beast Boy nodded encouragingly, finding her hesitance incredibly endearing (or, rather, _adorable_ , though he was limiting his use of the word). "Okay, _good_ ," he remarked, before leaning towards her as he lowered the volume of his voice. "Do you _know_ what cayenne is?" he teased, speaking in a whisper despite them being the only two in the common room.

Raven's eyes briefly scanned over the container in his hand, undoubtedly rereading the label surrounding the red spice. "...A pepper."

Again, he couldn't keep himself from grinning widely. "Congrats, Rae! You're no longer _hopeless!_ "

Her face contorted into a scowl at his teasing, though she refrained from responding in kind. Instead, she gave the rest of the ingredients beside them an irritated look. "Can we just get this over with?"

Finding comfort in the return of their usual banter (and her usual annoyance), Beast Boy let out a wistful sigh. "Hmm, very well," he agreed, before motioning towards the vegetables. "Alright, grab a knife and start cutting those bad boys up," he instructed. "I'll take care of the tofu."

Raven seemed oddly relieved by his last statement, and he watched as she casually summoned a knife with her powers. Though, it was a _serrated_ knife.

"Uh, that guy's better suited for bread," he interjected, cautiously grabbing the knife's handle as it floated past him. "You're gonna want something, you know... _sharp_."

The half-demon shrugged noncommittally, another blush staining the porcelain of her cheeks.

Sensing that she was as clueless of the utensils as she was of the ingredients, Beast Boy took pity on his teammate and casually handed her the correct knife. "This guy is nice and sharp," he explained, giving her another encouraging smile.

Though, as she went for it, he hurriedly held it out of her reach. "But, uh, you gotta be careful," he added sheepishly.

Raven shot him another glare as she folded her arms over her chest. "What, do you think I'm going to cut myself or something?" she snapped.

Holding up his hands innocently, the changeling took a small step backwards. "Whoa now, Rae! This is _self-preservation_ ," he insisted, unable to contain his amusement. "Like, I'm willingly handing _you_ a knife right now, and I just wanna be assured that you're not gonna, like, _stab_ me or whatever."

He could have sworn she almost smirked at his reasoning, though she quickly covered her mouth as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm not gonna, like, _stab_ you or whatever," she remarked dryly.

Satisfied that she was telling the truth, Beast Boy held the knife between them, being extra mindful of the blade.

Using a similar amount of caution, Raven tentatively brushed her fingers over his, before taking the knife from his hand.

It was his turn to blush, though he was thankful that she didn't seem to notice as she set the knife on the counter, before summoning the cutting board with her powers. Deciding that she had everything under control, Beast Boy turned towards his tofu.

Properly cooking tofu was an art from, and the shapeshifter considered himself to be quite the artist. Never had he been dissatisfied with one of his own dishes, and although he was planning on letting Raven take the reins, he was confident that together, they would make something edible.

As long as he kept an eye on her, anyway.

They had fallen into a comfortable silence as they went about their respective tasks, though Beast Boy spared his teammate a glance or two every few minutes. She had finished slicing all the vegetables, and was hesitantly pouring oil into a skillet.

"Careful when you light the stove," he warned, his eyes glued to her slim fingers as she toyed with the controls. "It's gonna flame up right away."

This earned him a huff of frustration. "Believe it or not, Beast Boy, but I know how the stove works," she mused flatly, before gesturing towards the teakettle on the back burner.

Beast Boy smiled sheepishly, his attention returning to the tofu before him as he diced it into sizable chunks. "Heh, right..."

But, despite her confidence, it seemed that the empath still needed guidance as she lit the burner, leaving it on its highest setting and returning her attention to the vegetables.

"Uh, you're gonna want to turn that down," he suggested, watching as the oil heated a bit too quickly for his liking.

Raven spared him a confused glance, before following his advice, albeit hesitantly. "Won't it cook faster if it's on a higher setting?" she queried.

"Well, yeah," he agreed casually, returning his focus to the tofu. "'Cuz, you know, it'll be on _fire_."

He could see Raven stare blankly at the skillet from the corner of his eye. "Huh."

Biting back a laugh, he quickly put the finishing touches on his tofu, before motioning towards the other pan with a nod. "Go ahead and get that guy heated up, too," he directed. "I'm gonna use this one for the tofu."

Again, Raven nodded, before lighting the other burner with newfound confidence. Though, Beast Boy watched in horror as she reached for the other pan while absently leaning over the flame, her violet hair falling over her shoulders.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed quickly, haphazardly dropping his tofu into his pan before pulling Raven's hair back. "Open flame plus pretty hair is _not_ a good combo, Rae," he chastised.

Raven hurriedly pulled herself away from the stove, before brushing her hand over his as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Really," she deadpanned, though he could see the redness in her cheeks as she realized the full extent of the potential disaster.

Slowly removing his hand, he gave the empath a toothy grin. "Oh, no need to thank me, but you're _welcome_ ," he teased, before turning his focus back onto his pan. Careful to keep an eye on her, he watched as she hesitantly summoned the extra pan with her powers before placing it on the other burner.

"Whatever," she muttered, her blush only becoming more pronounced as she slowly added the vegetables to the skillet. "Now my book _and_ my hair are going to smell like tofu," she added dryly.

Still, Beast Boy couldn't hide his amusement. "Oh, I'm sorry, Rae - would you have rather I let you catch on fire?"

He could see her shrug from the corner of his eye, though she neglected to respond beyond that. Letting out another chuckle, he continued to slowly fry his tofu in the skillet. His teammate had added a bit more oil than needed, although he couldn't really fault her - she _was_ a beginner. But he'd have her preparing tofu like a pro in no time; after she mastered a mean vegetable stir-fry, that is.

"Isn't this the part where I add seasonings?" she mused, her eyes meeting his as she idly prodded at the vegetables with a wooden spoon.

Beast Boy nodded absently. "Go for it."

But Raven's gaze remained fixed on him.

Feeling another smile part his lips, he let out a wistful sigh. "Can't go wrong with pepper," he suggested with a shrug.

A black aura immediately encased their pepper shaker, and the changeling quickly bit back a chuckle.

"What about... garlic powder?" Raven asked hesitantly, using her powers to lightly season the vegetables.

Beast Boy's smile grew. "Good idea," he mused, before snatching the pepper shaker from its suspended position and quickly seasoning his tofu. He could see Raven cautiously do the same with the garlic powder, and felt pleasantly surprised when she added a bit of the cayenne pepper as well.

Deciding that the tofu was basically done, Beast Boy removed his pan from the burner, setting it aside on the counter as he reached for the small saucepan he had taken out earlier. Quickly measuring out soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, and garlic, he began mixing together the ingredients in what would have to suffice as their teriyaki sauce.

Raven was still working on the vegetables, although he could tell that she was watching him curiously. Another blush spread over his cheeks, though he wasn't sure if it was from the attention or the heat.

"Noodles or rice?" he blurted randomly, suddenly finding the silence between them awkward.

Raven nonchalantly returned her attention to her own pan. "Robin prefers rice; Cyborg, noodles. Starfire will eat anything, and I'm fine with either," she answered plainly. "It's really up to you."

Beast Boy nodded, watching as his sauce began to boil. Lowering the heat, he took the liberty of removing Raven's teakettle from the back burner, before snatching a large pot and turning his back to the stove.

"Noodles it is," he decided. Placing the pot in the sink, he filled it halfway with water, before turning towards the stove and placing it on the newly-freed burner. "Just gotta let that boil," he mused, gesturing to the water.

Raven let out a snort of amusement. "Something I'm actually good at," she commented dryly.

Beast Boy felt another grin stretch across his face, before his sights fell onto the vegetables. They were beginning to brown - a sign that they were almost done. "Here, how about I finish this up, and you keep an eye on the sauce?"

Raven immediately raised her hands, taking a small step backwards. "Okay, what did I do wrong?"

Again, Beast Boy fought the urge to laugh - her being the clueless one was rare, and admittedly _adorable_. Though, he didn't want to rub it in her face. "Nothing, Rae," he insisted honestly, before switching places with her. "These guys are pretty much done, and I figured you could handle the sauce."

She seemed rather hesitant as she eyed the boiling brown liquid. "Handle the sauce," she repeated monotonously.

The changeling nodded as he turned off his burner and removed the skillet of vegetables. "Add a little ginger, will you?"

He watched as her eyes skimmed over the spices beside them, before the ginger became encased in her powers.

"Just a pinch," he continued, before stepping around her as he combined the tofu and vegetables into one pan (Cyborg be damned).

Raven complied with a nod, before slowly stirring the mixture together. Sensing that she had it under control, Beast Boy set aside his pan and reached for the bag of dry noodles on the counter, before dumping them into the boiling water.

"Am I doing this right?" Raven mused, her expressionless voice in complete contrast with her furrowing brows.

Beast Boy gave the sauce an inquisitive look - it was almost time to add cornstarch and water. "How's it taste?" he queried, reaching for said ingredients.

Raven's brows continued to furrow, before she adopted a scarily-serious expression. A chill ran up Beast Boy's spine as the air between them shifted, and he watched curiously while she dipped her middle and pointer finger into the brown mixture. Bringing her fingers to her lips, he audibly swallowed as she idly wiped her middle finger against her bottom lip, her tongue tasting it tentatively.

"Hmm," she hummed, before holding her pointer finger towards him. "It tastes fine to me, but you're the expert."

Beast Boy could only stare at her blankly, his heart hammering against his ribs as his mind wandered back to her earlier comment. _Flirting_ was said. It was implied. She had implied he was flirting with her, and now... was she flirting with _him?_ She had to have been. Or, she was _teasing_ him, at least. And not in the silly, juvenile way he teased her. No, this was the _cruel_ kind of teasing. The kind that made his heart race and his pants feel tighter. The kind that kept him up at night. The kind of teasing he used to _wish_ she would do.

The kind she was totally doing right now, 'cuz she knew she could. She could tease him like this with no consequences, 'cuz his brain would stop working and his mouth would fall open and his eyes would bug out and _ugh_ \- this was totally unfair. What the hell was she doing? _Why_ the hell was she doing this?

Beast Boy felt his eyes narrow ever so slightly as he soaked in her deadpan expression. She was just _so smug_. _So sure_ of herself. And it _so_ pissed him off. So before he could talk himself out of it, he leaned forward and captured her finger between his lips, his tongue skimming over her fingertip as he tasted the sauce.

"Hmm," he mimicked, before pulling back and glancing towards the ceiling in thought. "Maybe a little more ginger?" he suggested casually, his gaze falling back to hers.

Raven seemed to be frozen in place, though it lasted only a moment before she blinked away her shock. "Ginger," she deadpanned, her eyes darting away from his and back towards the stove.

Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from smirking.

* * *

"This is really good, you guys."

His eyes briefly meeting Raven's, Beast Boy shared a proud smile with her at their leader's praise. They were all sat around the table, enjoying the surprisingly tasty meal that the two of them had prepared. Hell, even _Cyborg_ had given them his blessing (despite a few muttered complaints over the tofu).

"Thank you," Raven replied politely, her eyes leaving the changeling's as she regarded Robin.

"Yes, it is most enjoyable!" Starfire added brightly, before squeezing an unlawful amount of sriracha onto her second helping. "And I am very much enjoying this new condiment!"

Beast Boy gave his teammate a grateful smile. "Uh, that's great, Star."

"It's a little spicy, though," Robin continued, before taking a swig of water.

Letting out a chuckle, Beast Boy pushed his chair away from the table. "I'll refill the pitcher," he volunteered, swiping said container from the table. Making his way towards the sink, he felt another smug smile tug at the corner of his mouth. He had successfully thwarted Raven's attempt at... whatever it was she was attempting. He hadn't quite figured it out, yet. She was acting normal for the most part, but her random comments and compliments and invasions of his personal space were beginning to add up, and he was honestly tired of all the counting he had to do.

Raven was his _friend_ , and he _fine_ with that. He had _accepted_ that. But the way she had been acting the past few days was really starting to take its toll on his mental health. He could hardly even remember the last time he had taken a hot shower - let alone a _warm_ one. And despite not letting her little stunt from earlier get the best of him, he knew that he would be thinking of the interaction for days.

Turning on the faucet, Beast Boy let out an exasperated sigh. Raven was driving him insane - no doubt about it.

"What was that about?"

Jumping at the sound of her voice, Beast Boy dropped the pitcher as he whipped around to face the source of all his confusion.

Raven was standing beside him, her arms crossed over her chest as she lifted a brow quizzically.

"What was what about?" Beast Boy mused, feeling a blush work its way down his neck as he realized her proximity. There was maybe a foot of space between them, and he couldn't help but have flashbacks of their earlier grocery-store trip.

"That sigh," she clarified, obviously unconcerned with how close she was standing to him.

Beast Boy felt himself shrug, a sheepish smile playing across his lips. "Oh, uh... I guess I'm just relieved that everyone... liked dinner," he lied.

Raven's brow arched even higher, though she didn't call his bluff. "Well, you're a surprisingly good teacher," she said instead, only causing his blush to deepen.

"Oh, heh, th-thanks..." he replied awkwardly, mentally cursing himself for getting so flustered. Hadn't he been confident enough to retaliate, not even half an hour ago? You know, when he literally licked teriyaki sauce off of her?

"I should be the one thanking _you_ ," Raven retorted with a small, barely-there smile.

Again, Beast Boy could only grin sheepishly. "It's no problem, Rae. I - "

He was _going_ to say 'had fun', but he was unable to finish his sentence, for Raven was suddenly even _closer_ , her hand resting on his shoulder as her eyes stared into his. "Thank you, Garfield," she mused softly, before placing a chaste kiss upon his cheek.

Freezing once again, Beast Boy could only watch as his teammate turned away from him and sauntered back towards the table, as if she hadn't just shattered reality. The sound of the pitcher overflowing behind him met his ears, though he still couldn't find the sense to move as his mind replayed what just happened, over and over again.

Raven had thanked him.

"...for I am doing the 'cutting back' of the mustard..."

Raven had thanked him while using his real name.

"...never eat it _willingly_ , but since y'all seem so happy with yourselves..."

Raven had thanked him while using his real name, before _kissing_ him on the cheek.

"...training first thing tomorrow, and then we have that press conference Monday, and, _whew_ , can we get that water?"

Raven had _kissed_ him. Kissed _Beast Boy_. Raven had kissed _-_

"Beast Boy!"

His leader's voice finally snapping him out of his stupor, the changeling felt himself blink rapidly as his eyes darted towards the table. "Huh?" he replied intelligently.

"Mind bringing the water? I'm dying over here," Robin mused.

Another moment passed by, before Beast Boy straightened at his leader's demand. "Right! Right!" he exclaimed, his face burning as he turned towards the sink. Quickly shutting off the faucet, he lifted the pitcher and began to make his way back to the table.

Raven had _kissed_ him. Kissed _him!_

Sure, it was only on the cheek, and fairly harmless, and it so totally didn't mean anything, but...

Well, Raven _kissed_ him. She had _k_ _issed him!_ She had pressed her lips against him. Lips he had been infatuated with since the age of fourteen had touched him. _Kissed_ him. And despite all the confusion and embarrassment and elation it had stirred up, it had made the shapeshifter absolutely certain of one thing: it was no use denying it, anymore.

He was _totally_ crushing on Raven.

* * *

 **Shocker, right? Lmao**

 **I just realized that this has surpassed 200 follows! And is getting close to 100 reviews! Keep it up, guys! Your support is incredible!**


	9. Dread

His feelings had been lying dormant, apparently. Sure, he knew that he cared for her tremendously, and that she felt the same for him. She was his teammate - they were Titans. _Family_. The whole team would lay down their lives for each other. Caring for her was no revelation.

And he had always been aware of his attraction to her, obviously. She was _Raven_ ; curvy and leggy and perfectly proportioned. Her features were stunning and her skin was flawless and her voice had an eerily-beautiful quality that captivated him entirely. Of _course_ he found her attractive - he'd have had to have been blind _not_ to.

But there hadn't been a connection between those two concepts. Caring for her and being attracted to her - they hadn't ever overlapped. He must have subconsciously kept the two apart; filing them away in different sections of his brain. Sure, there had been hiccups over the past five years. The whole 'beast' incident had raised a few eyebrows (and for good reason; the weirdly-possessive way he protected her wasn't very platonic, and he was well-aware of that), and the gut-wrenching, heart-stopping terror he felt when she became the portal was also a little too melodramatic for 'just a friend' to feel (but could anyone really blame him? He thought he _lost_ her!). And yeah, there were probably a few more instances that should have clued him in - his jealousy of Aqualad, his intense dislike for Adonis, his unfiltered _hatred_ for Malchior - all valid, and all _telling_.

But still, he hadn't ever let himself put two-and-two together. Not until he felt her lips against him. That's when everything came falling (or, rather, _crashing_ ) into place.

Beast Boy liked Raven. As more than a friend. He could finally admit it - well, at least to himself. There was no point in denying it or deflecting it. Beast Boy was crushing on Raven. It was totally obvious, and it totally made sense.

He could see Robin's mouth moving from the corner of his eye, but at that moment, it didn't matter. No, watching Raven as she bent forward, her legs straight as she pressed her palms flat against the ground, stretching the lean muscles beneath her porcelain skin - yeah, that was much more important. His leader was most likely droning on about some new combat technique he had perfected, and sure, the changeling was mildly interested in the topic. Raven's hand-to-hand combat skills weren't the only ones lacking on the team; Beast Boy could stand a few extra sessions on sparring. But doing those sessions right _now?_ With the empath folded in half like that?

 _Nah_.

"...thanks to your sharper-than-human instincts, but you'll still need to strengthen your core to fully - "

"Yeah, yeah. Cool," Beast Boy remarked dismissively, shifting all of his attention towards the half-demon across the room. "I should probably stretch first, huh? Yeah. Definitely stretch first."

Robin began to say something in response, but Beast Boy chose to ignore it as he moved towards his teammate, drawn to her like a magnet. Why had he been so adamant on denying it before? There was no shame in liking her; she was beautiful and smart. Totally crush-worthy. Nothing he needed to keep from himself. Letting himself crush on her was freeing, in a way. He no longer needed to over-analyze his actions or rethink his words. If he said something stupid of tripped over his own two feet, he knew the reason. He had a crush on her. Big whoop.

Nothing was ever going to come of it, but there was no harm in being truthful with himself. Admitting it had lifted a weight off of him. His inner turmoil of being a good friend was no more. He was a _great_ friend - and he'd continue to _be_ a great friend.

He was a great friend who just so happened to have a giant crush on her.

He watched as she slowly stood back up, her back straightening as she stretched her arms over her head. His eyes traveled down her form, memorizing every curve that made up her body. She was dressed in a simple blue tank top and black leggings, having forgone shoes as her bare feet gripped the mat beneath her. Again, Beast Boy found himself marveling at the sight of her small, thin feet. Five years, and this was only his second time seeing them?

"Can I help you?"

Her usual monotone was accompanied by the slightest hint of curiosity, and the emotion in and of itself was enough to pull Beast Boy from his thoughts as his eyes darted up to meet hers.

Thankful that she hadn't caught him ogling something _else_ , Beast Boy gave his teammate a toothy grin, before gesturing to her feet with a nod. "Why aren't you wearing shoes, Rae?"

She arched her brow inquisitively, lowering her arms to her sides, before rolling her shoulders. The shapeshifter's sensitive hearing picked up on the _pop_ of her joints, as well as the slight sigh that escaped her lips.

Lips he had felt.

Feeling his face flush, he quickly shook away the memory. "You gotta wear shoes when in the training room, you know," he continued casually, hoping to dispel any lingering thoughts of her mouth as he absently mirrored her actions. "What if you drop a weight on yourself or something?"

Raven continued to look unimpressed as she placed her hands on her hips, before twisting to her side. "Does it look like I'm working with weights right now?" she responded flatly.

The sound of her back popping caused his ears to twitch.

"Still kinda asking for trouble," he pointed out with a shrug, copying her move once again.

But Raven only rolled her eyes. "Shouldn't you be sparring with Robin?" she mused, changing the subject as fluidly as she changed her position, again stretching her arms above her head as she slowly leaned backwards.

Beast Boy tried not to stare at the way the move emphasized her chest. "Uh... I figured I should, you know... limber up a bit," he answered, semi-truthfully.

Raven pressed her palms flat on the ground once more, her entire body arched in a bridge, before idly bringing her legs off of the ground as she shifted her weight onto her hands, effectively doing a handstand.

Beast Boy wisely decided not to attempt mirroring _that_ , and instead plopped himself onto the ground, cross-legged.

"And you looked lonely over here, so I decided to keep you company," he added with a grin.

Raven gave him a sideways glance, before effortlessly flipping herself back into a standing position. "How thoughtful of you," she deadpanned, slowly lowering herself to the ground while doing the splits.

Beast Boy tried not to stare, though he no longer felt the usual pang of guilt when his gaze chose not to cooperate. It wasn't _his_ fault that his teammate was so damn flexible.

"You might want to at least _pretend_ to 'limber up'," said flexible teammate mused, seemingly unaware of his ogling as she idly inspected her unpainted nails. "Otherwise Robin's going to use you as a punching bag for not training during _training_."

Sparing their leader a glance, Beast Boy dismissively waved away her concern as he watched the masked titan gravitate towards their alien comrade. "Nah - I'm sure Rob won't mind the excuse to spar with Star," he explained, smiling slightly at his accidental rhyme.

Raven followed his gaze, before snorting in amusement. "Any excuse to touch her," she muttered, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

Lips she had used to kiss Beast Boy's cheek, not even twelve hours prior.

Admitting his crush had simultaneously simplified _and_ complicated things for the changeling. He was no longer mentally tripping over himself to justify his non-platonic feelings for her, but at the same time, it was becoming glaringly obvious that nearly _all_ of his feelings for her were... well, _non-platonic_. He wanted to lean over and capture her lips with his own; feel them against him once again. Feel _all_ of her against him. He wanted to brush his fingers through her hair or along her spine. He wanted to run his hands over her curves - find out if her skin was as soft as it looked. Marvel over the way she was both hot and cold. Breathe in her scent; let the delicious mix of lavender and herbs and sweat and musk intoxicate him completely.

He wanted to feel her writhe beneath him and listen to her as she panted his name. He wanted to kiss along her jaw and hear the small, timid giggle that would escape her lips. He wanted to hold her close as they talked about their day, their hands innocently exploring one another. He wanted to let the slow, controlled sound of her breathing lull him to sleep as she lay wrapped in his embrace.

But he didn't want her to know that that was what he wanted. He still wanted to _live_ , after all.

Despite their leader no longer paying him any attention, Beast Boy took Raven's advice and straightened his legs out in front of him, before stretching his fingers towards his toes. He may not have been the contortionist the empath was, but he could still reach his feet.

"I get why he wants us to be better in combat or whatever, but, like, when are we ever going to _not_ use our powers?" he wondered aloud.

Raven's blank stare returned to him, before she shifted herself into a similar position. "I've used too much energy at once; effectively draining myself," she replied simply, before putting the changeling to shame as she literally folded herself in half. "And the slightest sniffle causes you to shift randomly. Our abilities being predisposed isn't that far-fetched of a scenario."

But Beast Boy merely rolled his eyes at his teammate's explanation. "Can't a guy vent?" he muttered dejectedly.

Another smirk graced the empath's lips. "You're quite the complainer, you know that?"

The shapeshifter nearly scoffed at the accusation. "What? Not even!" he defended, before a guilty smile crept across his face. "Well, I mean, not _always_ ," he amended with a sheepish shrug.

His heart felt as if it would burst from his chest as he listened to his teammate huff in amusement, and his mind barely registered the fact that her position was giving him the perfect view down her shirt. Instead, his eyes seemed to only want to focus on her lips, and the way they tugged upwards as she shared one of her small, barely-there smiles with him.

"You're not alone, though," she began rather suddenly, plunging Beast Boy back into reality as he directed his gaze to meet hers.

"Huh?" he sputtered, feeling himself flush as her violet eyes bore into him.

"I've got quite a bit _I'd_ like to complain about," she continued flatly. "For instance, breakfast this morning was a nightmare."

Beast Boy couldn't help but grimace as he recalled the meal prior to their training. Another article was plastered across the now infamous _page six_ , again accusing the two titans of being more than friends. A reporter had apparently seen them out and about that Saturday, the text going on and on about their supposed 'coffee date' while conveniently glossing over the fact that it _hadn't_ been just the two of them. As expected, mentions of Raven's goth friend had been notably absent - it seemed the _truth_ wasn't as newsworthy.

Naturally, Cyborg had begun to tease the two of them, while Starfire giggled innocently behind her hand. Raven, again, seemed unbothered by the article's content, and even Beast Boy was able to feign disinterest - it _was_ just silly gossip, after all.

But then Robin had to go and open his big ole mouth.

 _"Maybe if you guys didn't perpetuate these rumors by going out all the time, they'd find something else to write about."_

Beast Boy had seen Raven angry plenty of times, but usually the anger was directed towards _him_.

"Can you believe Robin had the _audacity_ to say that?" she scowled, disregarding her usual indifference as she gave the changeling a pointed look.

Again, the green titan could only shrug, fighting back a frown of his own.

"Are we just expected to stay holed up in the tower anytime we want to hang out?" she continued, her monotone in complete juxtaposition to the flash of annoyance behind her eyes.

Beast Boy would be lying if he said her obvious displeasure _wasn't_ an ego-booster, despite how much he hated seeing her upset. "Yeah, that's kinda fucked up," he offered, tugging at the collar of his workout shirt nervously. Even if it wasn't towards _him_ , the half-demon's irritation always put him on edge. He kinda liked it, though.

Raven nodded in agreement; electing to ignore her teammate's obvious discomfort, it seemed. " _Perpetuating_ ," she practically spat, her eyes momentarily leaving his as she sent the boy wonder a fierce glare. "We got _coffee_ ; we weren't seen leaving a chapel."

The heat of a blush worked its way down the shapeshifter's neck, though he did his best to ignore it. "Yeah, I have no idea what Rob was going on about," he admitted. And it was true - Robin occasionally teased Beast Boy about various things (like any friend would), but he had never thrown Raven into the mix. The changeling was pretty certain that their perceptive leader had noticed his wandering green gaze (and the grey form it always wandered to), and yet, he hadn't ever mentioned it.

At least, not to Beast Boy directly.

So, Robin insinuating that he and Raven were _purposefully_ riling the media up? Really freaking weird.

"He's probably scared the paparazzi will start hounding him and Starfire again," Raven guessed flatly as she shifted herself into a cross-legged position. "Any publicity regarding the Jump City Titans always circles back to those two."

Beast Boy could detect a bitter edge to her voice, though he couldn't think of any reason for it.

"And then reporters will ruin their dates, Robin will get all flustered and lock himself away in the evidence room, and _I'll_ be the one comforting his girlfriend."

 _Ah_ \- that was her reason.

"Did you know that Tamaranean tears are slightly acidic?" she informed him plainly.

The changeling merely arched his brows - he did _not_ know that. "I'm guessing you found that out the hard way?"

A small frown tugged at Raven's lips as she closed her eyes, most likely readying herself to meditate. "A bit of advice: don't offer Starfire your shoulder to cry on."

Beast Boy smirked. "Good to know."

They fell into a companionable silence as Raven began to levitate above the ground. Beast Boy attempted to continue with his ruse of stretching, though it was rather pointless, seeing how he was complete shit at multitasking and his mind was most definitely preoccupied.

No, he could only focus on one thing at the moment; and that one thing happened to be the floating form before him. He had accepted his crush on the empath, and thankfully, it hadn't seemed to affect the way he acted around her. Yeah, he was maybe fidgeting a bit more, and his tongue felt a little heavier - but other than that? He could chat with her like normal. Fall into the comfort of their usual banter. Joke with her, tease her, maybe throw in a sly innuendo or two. Everything was the same.

So why was it suddenly not enough?

He knew he was staring at her, but he couldn't help it as his mind mulled over his newest discovery. Was this why he had done such a thorough job of suppressing these feelings? Because once they were realized, merely _feeling_ them wouldn't be enough? What, was he expected to _act_ on them, now?

His eyes traced along the bridge of her small, upturned nose, before settling on her full, pouty lips.

The same pouty lips that had kissed his cheek, and thrown his entire universe off balance. Lips that spoke his real name softly, as well as spilled insults freely. Lips that would frown the moment he entered a room or started a joke, but smile when he'd finally say something right. Lips that confused the hell out of him.

Uh, _yeah_ \- acting on his feelings was most _definitely_ out of the question.

If only his mouth got the memo.

"Hey, Raven?"

Her eyebrow twitched at the disruption, though she neglected to toss him through a window. That was a good sign, wasn't it?

He decided it was. "Rae?" he tried again.

"I'm meditating, Beast Boy," she replied, her voice eerily robotic.

Swallowing down his nerves, the changeling ignored her warning. "Well, when you're done meditating, I was wondering..."

He watched as her eyebrows arched, her attention clearly on him, despite her continued levitation.

Beast Boy could feel his apprehension returning, though he hurriedly buried it and pressed on. "Um, if you're not busy, that is," he continued, mentally cursing himself as he unintentionally self-sabotaged, "do you think you'd maybe want to, oh, I don't know... grab lunch later? With me?"

"No."

He froze at her answer, somehow expecting it and being totally thrown off by it at the same time. "No?" he repeated.

Raven didn't even have the decency to open her eyes. "It's Sunday," she deadpanned, as if her observation would clear everything up.

"Sunday?" he parroted once more.

The empath nodded curtly. "Sundays are my day, Garfield." Again, his heart skipped at the use of his real name. "Sundays are for me."

Despite her elaboration, he still wasn't getting it. "I'm so totally lost," he admitted sheepishly, pulling his knees to his chest as he continued to watch her.

Still, her face remained blank, and her eyes stayed closed. "Mondays, I spend time with Cyborg. We work on the T-car, or go out for coffee," she began monotonously. "Tuesdays are with Starfire - we watch movies while she braids my hair or paints my toenails." A cross between a scowl and a smile flashed over her features, though she readopted her neutral expression almost immediately. "Wednesdays, I train with Robin. He works me half to death, and then buys me a smoothie to make up for it. Thursdays are yours - and you make me do something different, each and every time, so there's no used in elaborating any further than that. Fridays, we have team movie-night, so I spend the evening with all of you - obviously. Saturdays are open; whoever seeks out my company first, usually gets it. But Sundays?" A small, somber smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

"Sundays are for you?" Beast Boy guessed, smiling despite his disappointment.

She unknowingly mirrored his expression. "Sundays are for me."

Mulling over her explanation, the changeling found himself in awe. He knew she liked organization - but delegating certain days to certain people? It was almost as weird as the whole Nevermore thing. Though, he wisely kept that observation to himself.

Instead, he weighed her words in his head. She had said Thursdays were for _him_. She dedicated a whole day to spending time with him - or, at least, _part_ of the day. How had he never noticed it before?

"So... uh... Thursday, then?" he mused, quickly recovering from his disappointment.

But, again, he was met with a 'no' as she shook her head. "Nothing is set in stone," she answered, still smiling. "I can be flexible."

Grateful that her eyes were still closed, Beast Boy felt himself flush as various images flashed through his mind at just _how_ flexible she could be.

"There's no need to wait till Thursday," she continued, oblivious to the changeling's dirty mind. "Any day that works for you, works for me - except Sundays, of course." She finally graced him with her full attention as she opened her eyes, and he found himself praying that his blush had faded. "Sundays are non-negotiable."

Beast Boy gave her a tight smile as he hurriedly shook away his less-than friendly thoughts. "So... tomorrow, then?" he suggested casually (or, what he hoped was casual - why was his heart beating so loudly?). "We can stop somewhere for lunch?"

Raven absently bit her lip in thought. "Hmm. We have the press conference tomorrow - " she began, but the green titan hurriedly amended his offer.

"After the press conference?" If his hands hadn't been resting on his knees, he was sure that they'd be shaking.

His teammate furrowed her brows as she pondered over it, before giving him a curt nod. "Sure. That sounds... nice."

Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from grinning like a mad-man. "Sweet!" he enthused, before jumping to his feet as his nerves gave way to excitement. "It's a date!"

But as the words left his mouth, he felt his face fall comically as his excitement turned to dread. Sure, Raven calling an impromptu training session a 'date' was one thing - but using the d-word in reference to a one-on-one lunch outing? How could he be so completely stupid? He totally just outed himself, and now she was going to reject him and their friendship was totally ruined and -

"It's a date," Raven repeated simply, closing her eyes once again.

* * *

 **This has reached over 100 reviews! I am speechless! So totally humbled and grateful and speechless! Luckily, my fingers are working just fine, so I can type out the words that my mouth can't form! Thank you so much - all of you! Writing is my passion, the BBRae relationship is my muse, and you guys are my motivation! When I say I love you all, please know that I truly love you all lmao**


	10. Damage

Beast Boy was... really confused.

A colossal understatement, yes, but the emotion seemed to fit the bill perfectly. He was kinda dazed, slow to respond, and couldn't piece together a coherent sentence to save his life. And _thinking?_ He was pretty sure any cognitive thought had checked out sometime between accidentally asking Raven on a date and then her _actually_ agreeing to it.

No, his mind had immediately realized that this matter was beyond it, and had gracefully stepped aside and allowed his basic instincts full control. You know - eat, sleep, fight bad guys.

And avoid Raven; that instinct being closely tied to self-preservation, and all.

Of course, that last one was kind of hard to do, seeing how Adonis had literally just thrown him across the room and towards said teammate. Realizing that crashing into her in the form of a gorilla was _probably_ a bad idea, Beast Boy hurriedly morphed into his human self.

Sure, something smaller and softer, like a bunny, would have probably been a better decision - but he wasn't _thinking_ right now, remember?

Their bodies collided with an audible _smack_ , him having literally knocked her off of her feet as they tumbled to the grimy locker room floor.

"Ow," Raven deadpanned beneath him, her hand absently rubbing the back of her head as she attempted to sit up. Beast Boy scrambled to get off of her, finding her face a little too close to his as she propped herself up on her elbow.

"Sorry!" he squeaked, practically flinging himself to the side in his attempt to escape, which only resulted in him smacking his head against the locker beside them. Rubbing the spot sheepishly, he realized that he had at least managed to get half-way off of her.

Raven gave him a sideways look, though she neglected to comment on his apparent clumsiness; something she usually made a point of doing. But no, she instead regarded him blankly, before delicately removing his limbs from her person. "Better _you_ than a gorilla, I suppose."

Beast Boy gave her an embarrassed grin, before the sound of Cyborg's sonic cannon pulled him back to reality.

The mission. Adonis. _Right_.

Shifting into a hummingbird, he flew away from the empath and towards the suited villain.

Adonis was probably one of his least favorite villains to fight. The guy was arrogant, aggressive, and cheesy as hell. Plus, the fact that he always tried getting Raven into compromising positions?

Didn't sit too well with the changeling.

But, again, Adonis was one of his least _favorites_ \- Beast Boy loved getting the chance to kick his ass.

His opponent seemingly distracted with dodging Cyborg's blasts, the green hummingbird patiently hovered in place, waiting for the perfect opportunity to drop in. Cyborg had paused his attack for a minute, having to momentarily recharge his cannon, but Raven had immediately swooped in as she quietly mumbled her mantra.

Adonis smirked at the sight of the sorceress, and was undoubtedly readying some lame pick-up line as he opened his mouth, though he was interrupted by a bench being unceremoniously hurled at him.

Unfortunately, it had only knocked him back a few feet before he got a good hold on it. "You like it rough, huh?" he sneered, his eyes zeroing in on Raven as he tossed the bench towards her. "I can do rough."

Beast Boy watched as Raven quickly ducked out of the way, only for the bench to knock over an unsuspecting half-robot.

"Oh, come on!" Cyborg cried, shooting their teammate a glare as he pulled himself back onto his feet. "Not even a 'head's up'?"

But Raven only shrugged as she returned her sights to the suited villain, who was rapidly advancing towards her. Deciding that this was as good of a time as any, Beast Boy zipped across the room and over Adonis, before shifting into an elephant.

Apparently distracted by Raven (who, Beast Boy could admit, was _super fucking distracting_ ), the villain hadn't seemed prepared for the five tons of African mammal that had suddenly landed on him. Hearing the satisfying _crunch_ of metal, along with a dejected whimper, Beast Boy returned to his normal form to assess the damage.

Adonis's suit was crushed beyond repair, though the villain remained relatively unharmed as he pouted within its confines. Sticking his tongue out triumphantly, the changeling hopped off of the destroyed suit and sidled up beside the empath.

"Impressive, huh?" he laughed, ignoring his instinct to tuck tail and run as he gently nudged her shoulder with his own.

But Raven only raised a brow. "Any reason you didn't do that sooner?"

Beast Boy felt himself flush slightly as he gave her a guilty grin. "Uh, just wanted to make sure Rob and Star got all the civilians out?" he answered, semi-truthfully. "You know, falling elephants are kinda dangerous and all... I didn't want to squish some meathead."

Raven's eyes fell towards the villain momentarily, before darting back to meet his.

"Adonis isn't a meathead - hell, he's scrawnier than _I_ am," Beast Boy objected lightheartedly.

"I can _hear_ you," the villain growled. The frown had yet to leave his face, and it seemed he wasn't as keen on flirting with the half-demon without the protection of his suit.

"You're not scrawny," Raven stated simply, ignoring Adonis entirely. "Lean muscle is a thing, you know."

Beast Boy's eyes had immediately sought out Raven's legs, despite his better judgement. "Heh, uh, I know," he replied, swallowing down the lump in his throat as he turned his attention towards the villain.

Cyborg was lazily poking at their foe's suit, seemingly unconcerned with releasing him from what had to have been an uncomfortable position. "Got an 'open' button or anything?" he questioned, but instead of waiting for an answer, he hoisted the villain up and threw him over his shoulder, mangled suit and all. "No? Oh well."

Adonis grumbled something unintelligible, his eyes shamefully avoiding Raven's as he glared at the ground. Beast Boy smirked at that, despite the fact that he was kinda doing the same thing.

He had asked Raven out yesterday, planning on lunch for 'tomorrow', but 'tomorrow' was now _today_ , which meant that today was the day that yesterday's question had referred to -

Beast Boy scowled, mentally berating himself. _Thinking_ was supposed to take a hike; he was running on _instinct_ right now, and _instinct_ was telling him to run. After all, it was kinda hard to count to three when you weren't allowed to think.

"Well, would you look at the time!" he exclaimed awkwardly as he held up his watch-less wrist. "We all got a press conference to get to! Can't just stand around and chat all day!"

Raven seemed unconcerned with his random outburst. "Are we still on for lunch, afterwards?" she asked, her usual monotone ever-present.

Beast Boy hoped that she didn't see his blush as he quickly marched past her. "Huh? Oh, uh... yeah. Yeah! Totally!" he sputtered. His eyes focusing on the exit, he silently cursed himself for getting so flustered. She was _on board_ , after all. She had _agreed!_ There was no reason to get so worked up over it. They had eaten _countless_ meals together - today's lunch would be no different.

Aside from the fact that they had both referred to it as a _date_.

* * *

"...though it _is_ a possibility, in the near future." Robin spoke confidently, as usual, while addressing the mass amount of reporters staring up at the five of them.

Beast Boy smiled politely from behind his leader, completely used to having the boy wonder speak for them all. The changeling himself couldn't get through the questions without cracking a joke, and Cyborg, too, struggled with keeping things professional. Starfire _loved_ to do the talking, but she was always wandering off topic. And Raven? The reporters would be lucky to get two words out of her - not that they'd be able to _print_ them. F-bombs were apparently a no-no in the world of journalism.

Though, blatant _lying_ was a-okay, it seemed.

"And now, my colleague here would like to address a few rumors that have been circulating," Robin continued, his words causing Beast Boy to stiffen.

He watched in horror as the masked titan stepped away from the podium while Raven moved towards it, inadvertently bumping into Beast Boy as she passed him. He stumbled forward a bit, feeling himself flush as a few heads turned in his direction.

Though, the moment the empath cleared her throat, all eyes were on her.

"Seeing how introducing myself is rather pointless, I am going to get straight to the point," she began bluntly, her demeanor eerily calm as her eyes passed over the many faces before her.

Realizing he was staring, Beast Boy averted his gaze, and instead focused on his shoes. He knew that the empath was still a little bitter about her argument with their leader the day prior, but he hadn't realized that she would be making a statement. It seemed Robin wanted them to nip the rumors in the bud.

He ignored the feeling of disappointment that pooled in his stomach.

"There have been several articles published recently pertaining to the relationship status between me and my teammate, Beast Boy."

He flinched at the sound of his name, his eyes darting up to meet the curious gazes of the press.

"In these articles, facts have been distorted, as well as left out entirely," Raven accused, though she remained stoic as she dully regarded the mass of reporters. "It seems that several writers have taken to writing _fiction_ , at the expense of my team."

Again, Beast Boy flinched, though it was in sympathy for the poor sap that Raven was publicly calling-out. Having somebody with a Superhero-Status accuse you of being a _liar_ was sure to kill a career.

"So, as determined by my leader, who has so _graciously_ allowed me to speak," she continued, a slight bite in her otherwise monotonous voice, "I am going to clear the air, once and for all."

Beast Boy again tried to ignore the disappointment he felt at her words. If she was supposed to deny that they were dating, did that mean that their lunch later _wasn't_ a date? That it was again just a phrase; a poor choice of words on his part? That it was no different than her calling their training session a 'date'?

He only half-listened as Raven let out a slow, controlled sigh, before watching as she straightened her posture.

"Beast Boy and I are _not_ dating."

With all of his focus going towards keeping a neutral expression, it took Beast Boy a second to realize that the empath had casually grabbed his hand.

"We're engaged."

A hush fell over the crowd instantly, with no one daring to utter a peep as everybody simultaneously blanched at Raven's statement. Beast Boy was in a similar state of shock as he gaped at his teammate, who was, for some strange reason, avoiding eye contact.

Though, as he continued to stare, he could see the slightest smirk tug at the corner of her mouth.

" _Raven_ \- " Robin practically growled, but it seemed his voice had finally broken the spell.

Beast Boy cringed as an onslaught of questions were directed towards the pair, everyone's voices merging together to form one loud, excitable hum.

" _How long have you been together?_ "

" _When did he propose?_ "

" _Why aren't you wearing a ring?_ "

" _Where is the wedding going to be?_ "

" _Have you set a date?_ "

Despite the blush that was slowly working its way down his neck, Beast Boy couldn't help but beam. Raven had just pulled the prank of a lifetime - and he wanted in.

" _Ahem_ ," he began, obnoxiously clearing his throat.

The crowd immediately quieted down.

Stepping closer to the podium, Beast Boy ignored the way Raven questioningly squeezed his hand. "Well," he mused, his eyes leisurely surveying the crowd as he pondered over which question to answer. Feeling a sly smile creep over his lips, he settled on the one that would give him the most to work with. "We've decided on a fall wedding, seeing how Raven's gonna start to show here soon, and I still want her to look hot in her dress."

He then pointedly placed his free hand on the half-demon's stomach.

Another silence fell over the crowd, before Beast Boy's ears were met with a deafening roar. He could hardly discern one voice from another as the press practically shouted at them. Cameras were flashing and cellphones were recording and half of the reporters were frantically taking notes, the sounds of their pens scratching over paper only adding to the cacophony of chaos that Beast Boy had unwittingly caused.

Though, he couldn't help but grin. He lived for a good joke, after all. Despite the fact that this one might be the one to kill him.

"Off the stage." A hand was suddenly on his shoulder, while a voice snarled menacingly in his ear. " _Now_."

Beast Boy glanced behind him, noting the way his leader practically steamed. "Heh, uh... Sure thing," he replied sheepishly, before tugging Raven with him. She had yet to let go of his hand - not that he was complaining, of course.

"Ha, uh, m-my colleagues were obviously joking," Robin addressed the crowd, having quickly taken their place at the podium. "A bad joke, mind you. But I can assure you all, there are absolutely no fiances or fetuses to report."

As they descended the stairs, their fingers still laced together, Beast Boy cautiously sneaked a peek at the empath.

She was glaring at him, unsurprisingly. But it also looked like she was fighting back a smile. Though, much to his disappointment, as soon as they were hidden behind the stage and out of the reporters' sights, Raven delicately slipped her hand from his. Instead, she regarded him with a raised brow, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Did you just imply that we've had unprotected sex?"

Beast Boy grinned in spite of the sudden sense of dread that filled him. "Heh, uh... Well, you're the one who said we were _engaged_ ," he bit back lightly.

But the empath rolled her eyes, effectively dismissing his argument. "Robin is going to kill us," she mused instead, before the smirk she was holding back finally broke through.

Entirely enraptured by her upturned lips, Beast Boy nodded absently. "You started it," he accused.

Her smile widened, ever so slightly. "He told me to deny the dating rumors." A mischievous glint lit up her violet eyes. "He just didn't specify _how_."

Beast Boy could only stare at his teammate, his heart beating rapidly as his affection for her grew tenfold. Though, he hurriedly squashed down the emotion with a count of three, choosing to focus on his amusement instead.

"After all, I've already been _perpetuating_ things. What did he expect?" She gave a dainty shrug, before casting her eyes towards the ground as a pink blush dusted over her features. "I probably should have discussed my plan with you, though. I figured you'd play along, but, still... I should have asked you first."

Surprised by her sincerity, Beast Boy opened his mouth to respond, but was immediately silenced by her sudden glare.

" _'Look hot in her dress'_?" she repeated, incredulous. " _Really?_ "

Though, before he could defend himself, a hearty chuckle broke the tension. "Oh, y'all are gonna _get it!_ "

Glancing towards the stage, Beast Boy watched as Cyborg descended the steps with a devious grin.

"Where's Robin?" Raven asked plainly, ignoring their teammate's mirth.

"He is doing the 'damage control'," Starfire answered as she floated down behind the half-robot. She was nervously wringing her hands together, though a small smile graced her features. "You two were very convincing."

Another blush swallowed the changeling whole, and he momentarily focused in on the sound of his leader's voice, adamantly denying any engagements.

"I'm surprised the grass stain here is still in one piece," Cyborg teased, before ruffling Beast Boy's hair and breaking his concentration. "What, with him insinuating y'all are doing the nasty."

His skin literally burning, Beast Boy pointedly avoided Raven's gaze as he shot his best friend a dirty look.

"It was an unplanned addition to my announcement, but it did garner the reaction I was hoping for," Raven deadpanned.

Starfire landed beside the empath, before warily placing a hand on her shoulder. "And what reaction was that, friend?"

" _Beast Boy! Raven!_ "

Cringing at the sound of Robin's voice, Beast Boy's eyes darted over to meet Raven's, despite his better judgement.

She was the epitome of calm, though he could still detect a twinkle of amusement behind her eyes - a stark contrast to the fear in his.

"Yes, Robin?" the half-demon deadpanned.

The masked titan marched down the steps, his hands balled into fists. "What. The. _Hell_. Was. _That?!_ " he growled.

Beast Boy's head sunk between his shoulders as he backed away from their leader, though the man paid him no mind, seeing how he was entirely focused on the empath.

"You told me to deny the dating rumors," Raven mused.

Cyborg let out another snicker. Starfire slowly removed her hand from Raven's shoulder. Beast Boy swallowed nervously.

Robin only scowled. "So you make things _worse?_ " he hissed, throwing his hands in the air. "God, we get enough flack from uppity soccer moms about me and Star - Now you wanna act like you're _pregnant_? W-with _Beast Boy's_ kid?" His arms dropped to his sides as he let out an exasperated groan. "The mayor is going to _kill_ me..."

Beast Boy opened his mouth to defend the empath, only to be interrupted by her throwing him under the bus.

"I only said we were engaged," she defended flatly. "Beast Boy was the one who alluded to _that_."

Finding no reason to hide his _annoyance_ with her, Beast Boy's eyes narrowed at his teammate. "Gee, thanks, Rae."

Again, she only shrugged.

Feeling Robin's glare shift towards him, Beast Boy let out a weary sigh as he stood up straighter. If he was going to die, he'd at least do it with dignity.

The masked titan was clenching his fists once again, before he let out a sigh of his own. "I can't deal with this right now. Back to the tower; both of you," he ordered, his hands relaxing.

"But we have a date," Raven argued halfheartedly.

Robin's annoyance immediately returned. "I don't _care_ ," he seethed, his head whipping back towards the empath. "I've got to set the story straight, and I can't very well do that with the two of you parading around town. Back to the tower." His stance relaxed once more as he looked between the two of them. "Please."

Surprised by their leader's attempt at keeping his cool, Beast Boy nodded. Yeah, he was bummed that he couldn't take Raven out to lunch, but after the stunt they had just pulled... well, it was probably best to keep under the radar.

Satisfied that they would comply, Robin slowly ascended the steps once again, Cyborg and Starfire trailing after him.

The two remaining titans stayed silent as their teammates returned to the stage, before Raven broke it with a huff.

"I didn't think we'd be _punished_ ," she mused, a somewhat bitter edge in her tone.

Beast Boy sent her a sympathetic smile. "Eh, that's usually what happens when I pull a prank," he explained, shrugging. "I guess lunch is a bust, huh?"

Raven gave him a thoughtful look. "Not necessarily..." she replied ominously.

Beast Boy arched his eyebrows, curious.

"You could always... _We_ could always just... make something. At home," she suggested. "If you want to."

Flashbacks to their previous cooking session instantly filled the shapeshifter's mind, and he answered almost immediately. "Yes."

* * *

The counters were covered in flour, his hands were sticky with batter, and the overpowering smell of vanilla filled his nostrils, but Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from smiling.

Raven was slowly pouring said batter into the waffle iron, biting her lip in concentration. "And it'll just beep when it's done?" she asked, sparing the changeling a hesitant glance.

Beast Boy tried to suppress his smile, but she had flour in her hair and looked so completely awe-struck and it was just so unexpectedly adorable. "Yes, Rae. You pour in the batter, close the top, flip it over, and then it'll beep when it's done," he replied, finding amusement in how inept she was when it came to matters of the kitchen.

"So, I wait until it beeps," she repeated, before returning her attention to the batter as she slowly closed the top and flipped the waffle iron over, "and then, I'll have successfully made a waffle."

His grin widening to the point where it almost hurt, Beast Boy let out a chuckle. " _Yes_ , Rae - you'll have successfully made a waffle."

Her eyes returned to his, though they were now fixing him with a glare. "Don't patronize me," she warned, before gracing him with a small smirk. "This is a very important moment in my life, you know."

Beast Boy swore his face was going to split in half. "I know," he cooed. Though, despite his amused outer appearance, it was complete chaos in his mind as he attempted to rein in his affection. Sure, he was cool with crushing on her - but he didn't want to be crushed _by_ her if she ended up sensing his emotions.

She was giving him that small, barely-there smile that made his insides turn to mush, but as she opened her mouth to continue with their weird banter, she was interrupted by the beeping of the waffle iron.

Whipping her head towards the sound, he watched as she hesitantly flipped it back over, before opening the lid.

A perfectly-formed, golden-brown waffle greeted them.

"I made a waffle," she deadpanned, before using her powers to pluck it from the iron and set it on a plate. "I _successfully_ made a waffle."

Beast Boy nodded, admittedly impressed by her first attempt. "That is definitely a waffle," he agreed. "An _edible_ one, too."

Raven turned to face him once again, but rather than glaring at his teasing, she was smiling. "Thank you," she mused. "For teaching me."

Grinning, Beast Boy couldn't stop himself from what he said next. "What, no kiss this time?"

But before he could mentally berate himself for bringing that up, his vision was suddenly obscured by violet as Raven leaned towards him, and any and all brain functions had immediately shut down when he felt her lips against him.

This time, though, she hadn't kissed his _cheek_.

It took him a full three seconds to realize that her lips were firmly pressed against his own, and that her hand was gently cupping his face, and that he was standing there like a total idiot with his eyes wide open.

It took him another three seconds to realize that he should probably kiss her back, seeing how he had literally dreamt of this moment since he was fourteen years old. But by the time that thought filtered through, Raven had already broke the kiss, her lips ghosting over his for a moment, before she released his face and took a small step backwards.

He hadn't yet blinked, and could only stare at his teammate in shock as she feigned nonchalance.

"Yes, well... Thank you, again," she continued somewhat awkwardly, a furious blush spreading down her neck.

Still, Beast Boy only stared, the synapses in his brain slowly firing back up.

Raven had kissed him. _On the lips_. Raven had -

But his musings were interrupted by the sound of shattering glass, and the two of them were suddenly met with darkness as every light bulb in the common room exploded.

"...I need to meditate," Raven announced needlessly, before disappearing from the room with a wave of her hand.

Beast Boy continued to stare at where she had been, his mind attempting to make sense of what had just happened, before checking out once again.

* * *

 **Ayeee something finally happened lmao**

 **Leave a review? ;)**


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